


The Risk in the Choice

by Loving_Healer



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: After Blood of Olympus, Angst, Fantasy, Fluff, Friendship, Heroes of Olympus, HoO - Freeform, Humor, I gotchu right here, If you're looking for a classic plot, M/M, Nico di Angelo - Freeform, PJO, Percico - Freeform, Romance, percy jackson - Freeform, pernico - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-27
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-12-20 11:35:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 30,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11920047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loving_Healer/pseuds/Loving_Healer
Summary: [[Completed]] [[Percico]]Nico di Angelo has disappeared for three years after the Giants' War ended. But one day, Nico shadow-travels back due to a monster attack, and Percy asks him to stay at Camp Half-Blood for awhile. Now, how will this turn out after three years?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The most CLASSIC of the CLASSIC. I swear, if you want to start writing Percico, this is the plot that you start off with. It's so BASIC. Also, this was my first Percico fanfic I ever wrote. Don't destroy me or my younger self's writing bye.
> 
> NOTE: This fanfic was written before Blood of Olympus was even released. Sorry for possible inaccuracy.

**Percy Jackson**

"Who came back?!"

"I told you a million times! Nico came back!"

"Who?!"

"Nico--di--Angelo!"

It has been almost three years after the prophecy of seven stopped the rise of Gaea. Reyna, Nico, and Coach Hedge brought the Athena Parthenos back to Camp Half-Blood, right before Octavian was just about to launch the two demigod camps into an all-out war. It was his entire fault, Octavian's, that the two camps were quarreling against each other so much. Turns out that Octavian was a spy for Gaea, and he fled the camp before anyone could catch him. Such a coward he was.

After the seven demigods defeated Gaea and returned to Camp Half-Blood by the Argo II, they heard the story about Octavian and all. Nico mysteriously disappeared after the conflict was resolved, and he was nowhere to be found. Hazel would get letters every now and then, ensuring her that he was fine. Hazel still missed him and always prayed that he would soon visit someday.

Hazel, Frank, and Reyna returned to Camp Jupiter after they celebrated with the Greek demigods. They returned to their Roman camp a few days after the celebrations and feasts that took place at a very jolly Camp Half-Blood. The Roman camp and the Greek camp were now allies, and Greeks and Romans would be able to travel between both camps whenever they pleased. The only thing stopping them from doing so was monster attacks.

Now here Percy was, completely astounded, by what Jason had just told him:  _Nico came back to Camp Half-Blood_. Was this even real? Wouldn't Nico prefer to go to Camp Jupiter to visit Hazel? Why would Nico come here? Percy did seem to realize that Jason and Nico had formed a strong bond between one another, which really hurt Percy. Nico hated Percy, and that really hurt him as well. It was and wasn't Percy's fault that Bianca died, and he thought that Nico forgave him about the whole event. But, Nico still acted a bit cold to him, and Percy never knew why. He also glared at Annabeth involuntarily whenever they made contact. Nico is someone that Percy would never understand.

He stared at Jason, wide-eyed and full of shock. He opened his mouth to blurt something out about Nico, but Jason beat him to it.

"Before you even say anything, I need to tell you the whole story as to why Nico's even here."

"The whole story? What  _story_?" Percy flung his arms into the air. "Do we  _even_  have time for this?! I haven't seen or heard Nico in like what, three years?!"

What  _whole story_  is Jason even talking about? Nico, disappearing for three years without saying goodbye, is back at Camp Half-Blood. Percy didn't have any time to waste. What if Nico disappeared for another three years without saying goodbye  _again_?

Percy felt like he was stabbed in the heart three years ago. It hurt that someone he cared for just  _disappeared_. He deserved the hostility that Nico gave to him. After all that happened between Nico and him, Percy could understand why Nico was so cold-hearted. But, was he really  _that_  hostile to leave without saying goodbye? And to make it worse, he never even came back.

But, he  _finally_  has the opportunity to see the Ghost King again. The only "contact" they ever got from Nico was the letters he wrote to Hazel that she let them read. Percy missed Nico,  _a lot_. He considered Nico as one of his friends, even if Nico will never consider Percy as his.

Jason heavily sighed, realizing just how impatient Percy was. "Calm down. You'll see him soon enough. Nico's not going anywhere."

"And how do you know that?" Percy snapped. "How do  _you_  know that Nico won't disappear for another three years or so  _again_? Have you realized how unreadable Nico is? I really doubt you haven't realized it by now, Grace."

Jason closed his eyes and sighed once more, clearly annoyed and frustrated about Percy's behavior. "Just listen to me first before you storm off to find Nico, okay? Nico's injured. Chiron's guess is that he was attacked by monsters."

Percy blinked momentarily at the Roman demigod. "What?" After a few moments of realization, Percy suddenly became more alarmed. "What monster attacked him?! Is he okay?! How bad are his injuries?! What happened?! Where?! When?!"

Jason rubbed his temples. "He's asleep right now, but you can see him if you want," Jason replied, answering none of Percy's questions. He soon said, "Chiron surmised that Nico was close to Camp Half-Blood when he was attacked-so he came here to get someone to help heal his injuries. Nico collapsed on the front porch of the Big House, and Chiron found him soon after. You don't have to worry about it too much though, Chiron's got it."

Don't have to worry too much? Oh, Percy was feeling the  _exact_  opposite of Jason's last statement. He  _was_  worrying, and he was worrying a lot. He felt like one of those overprotective parents when their child hasn't come home and it's passed his or her curfew.

Percy wasted no time. He shoved passed the blonde-haired demigod and set his destination for the Big House. Jason thought about stopping him but realized that his efforts would be in vain if he ever did try. He just watched Percy sprint his way to Nico's and Chiron's direction, wondering what Percy would do once he actually got there.

As Percy stormed through Camp Half-Blood, some campers gave him confused and puzzled looks, but Percy didn't take the time to explain the situation to them. Most of the campers didn't even  _know_  of Nico's existence since they were new recruits. They didn't think that Hades had any children; they only knew of Pluto's child by the name of Hazel Levesque.

Other campers never knew Nico. They knew  _of_ Nico, but they just never talked to the demigod. A few other campers just didn't like Nico, most likely because Nico gave the cold shoulder to almost  _every living being_. Nico also radiated death and hostility, and who would want to know someone that radiated _that_? But, Percy didn't care. Nico was Nico, and Nico was his friend. A friend that helped him through both the Titans'  _and_  the Giants' War. He convinced his dad, Hades, to help the demigods in Manhattan even though Hades  _strongly_  despised Percy. Nico was  _definitely_  his friend and the same friend that disappeared three years ago. And, Percy was not going to let this chance of seeing that same friend pass by.

Most of the campers of Camp Half-Blood thought that Nico was just going to the Underworld on one of his little trips to help his dad and Thanatos around with the dead. But soon, after a few months, everyone knew that Nico wasn't going to come back. Hazel even received a letter from Nico after a few months, apologizing to her that he didn't say goodbye and he just disappeared. He refused to tell the reason as to why, but Jason looked like he knew something the rest of them didn't. He never told any of them if he knew or not, so Percy just let it slide by. He didn't want to force his friend into saying something whether Jason knew the reason or not. If Jason wanted to talk about it, then he will. Otherwise, Percy wouldn't pester him about it.

Someone soon fell into step with Percy as he rushed forward to where Nico was resting. Jason said that Chiron was taking care of him, so the only reasonable place for Nico to be where Chiron could take care of him was the Big House. Percy wasn't  _that_  much of a seaweed brain.

Speaking of seaweed brain, he craned his neck to his right to find a familiar set of curly blonde hair tied in a ponytail, bouncing on a familiar set of shoulders. Her chilling gray eyes stared back at Percy's sea green ones, boring deep down into Percy's mind and soul. She really did have that kind of effect on people though.

"What's the deal, Perce?" Annabeth asked, clearly aware that something was happening from the way Percy acted.

"Nico's back," Percy breathlessly answered.

"Nico...di Angelo?" Annabeth inquired. Even  _she_  never expected Nico to come back and pay a visit. And that's saying something; Annabeth was the daughter of Athena.

"Yeah, even I didn't believe it when Jason told me a few minutes ago," Percy stated, speeding up now that the Big House was in his line of sight. Annabeth sped up as well, keeping up her pace with Percy's. "Long story short, Nico collapsed on the porch of the Big House injured and Chiron suspects that he was attacked," Percy rapidly explained.

"Interesting," Annabeth murmured, taking in the new information. "But, what kind of monster would be able to injure Nico severely that he would collapse from it? Nico's the son of Hades, one of the Big Three. A simple monster wouldn't make him collapse."

Percy shook his head as they both kept up their brisk pace towards the Big House. "That's what I want to know. Maybe he shadow-traveled over here, and since it was just after a battle, he collapsed from exhaustion," Percy surmised.

"That's probably the smartest thing I've ever heard you say, considering it came from a seaweed brain," Annabeth smirked, but it soon faltered. "But, we'll never know unless we get to the Big House soon.

Percy nodded in agreement, and they both briskly made their way over to the Big House.

The front door of the Big House flew open and slammed against the wall, rattling the objects that were hung on the walls nearby, and the hinges of the door.

"Woops," Percy deadpanned.

" _Woops_ ," Annabeth mimicked. "You could've made a hole in the wall if you threw the door open and harder," Annabeth criticized.

"Didn't mean to open it  _that_  hard." Percy chuckled in amusement. Annabeth huffed in annoyance.

A man that had his lower half of a brown horse trotted over to them. He had short chocolate brown hair and a beard with the same color hue. He wore a soft red coat over a plain white shirt. Gentleness filled his soft brown eyes, despite the fact Percy almost destroyed the wall.

"Chiron." Percy acknowledged his appearance.

"Hello, Percy." Chiron nodded at Percy and Annabeth. "Hello, Annabeth."

"Hi, Chiron," Annabeth greeted back.

"What brings you two to the Big House today?" Chiron politely asked like he didn't know he inhabited a demigod that disappeared for three years.

"Nico," Percy flatly answered like it answered all the world's problems.

Chiron narrowed his eyes on Percy. "So, you have indeed found out about Nico's appearance, hm?" His expression abruptly changed to a soft smile. "He's sleeping now, I hope, but if you insist on seeing Nico then I will allow you to do so."

"Thanks, Chiron." Percy slightly smiled.

"Thank you." Annabeth courteously nodded at Chiron. "I wonder what Nico looks like nowadays after three years have gone by."

Chiron's expression morphed into a sour one. His eyes that reflected gentleness now reflected those that don't have a home and are lonely. "I wish you didn't have to see Nico in his current state of condition. It is very saddening...very heartbreaking indeed."

Percy grew protective as his eyes widened. "What...how bad is he?"

"He is gravely wounded, as you two may have heard." Chiron shook his head. He bounded forward so that he could rest his palm on Percy's and Annabeth's shoulder. "Thankfully, his life is not in danger. He collapsed on the porch of the Big House at around four in the morning."

"Four?!" Percy incredulously exclaimed. "In the morning?!"

Chiron nodded. "I suspect that he was attacked, and he shadow-traveled onto the porch of the Big House to flee. After a battle  _and_  shadow-traveling, I would expect he would collapse from all the exertion."

"That most likely happened, if you consider it," Annabeth agreed. "Nico hasn't told you anything?"

"No, he has not," Chiron remorsely replied with a look of forlorn clouding his face. "He has been in a lot of pain so far. Though, this morning he has healed quite a lot since I told an Apollo camper to heal him. I'll ask him soon enough."

Percy stared from Annabeth to Chiron. He narrowed his eyes. "Are we going to see Nico now?" He impatiently asked.

"Calm down." Annabeth rolled her eyes. "We'll go see him now. Chiron, can you lead the way?"

"Of course." Chiron smiled, but sadness still filled his eyes. "Let's go then."

They walked in silence through the Big House, their footsteps tapping on the wood of the ground each step they took. Chiron's footsteps were faster since he had four legs. They trudged up the stairs, and Percy became more excited and nervous. Chiron led them through various hallways with multiple doorways, until they halted in front of a door at the end of one of the many hallways in the Big House.

"I still hope Nico is resting in bed." Chiron sighed as he swiped a hand down his face. "Last time I checked up on him he was out and about like nothing has happened. I guessed he was attempting to shadow-travel away, but he was too weak to control the shadows to do so. But, I could tell that he could still feel pain. Every action he does triggers more pain into him, I can tell."

Percy's and Annabeth's worried looks made Chiron reassure them instead. Even if Annabeth never liked the son of Hades a lot, she still cared for him, especially since it had been three years since their last meeting. He  _did_  take part in both the Titans' and Giants' War with them. And, it wouldn't hurt to be a little curious as to what the Ghost King looks like now after three years, right?

Chiron plastered a smile on his aged face. "He has taken nectar and ambrosia, so I'm sure he will be fine. Like I said, I asked an Apollo camper to heal him as much as she can. Nico's healing at a rapid rate, I would say. You guys shouldn't fret."

Percy and Annabeth became a little more relieved at Chiron's previous words. But Percy won't feel completely relieved until he sees the son of Hades with his own two eyes.

Chiron slowly opened the door without making the slightest noise. Before Percy or Annabeth could get a peek at the now seventeen year-old teen, Chiron bid his farewells, saying that he had business around camp to tend to.

Percy and Annabeth glanced warily at each other, before nodding. Annabeth pushed the door the rest of the way open with her palm, ending the suspense.

Nico sat upon the bed, knees brought up to his chest, and head held in his palms. His elbows were propped on his knees, and it looked like he fell asleep while sitting. His shaggy, midnight hair draped down his face, so Percy and Annabeth couldn't get a clear view of his features. He wore a plain black T-shirt, and his Aviator jacket was by the foot of the dark red bed Nico sat upon. The now seventeen year-old teen looked like he grew a few inches, though he was still shorter than Percy by maybe two inches, but taller than Annabeth. He seemed to have developed more muscle, though he was more lean than muscular instead of painfully skinny like before.

And here was the gruesome part. The Aviator jacket was  _soaked_  in blood. His black T-shirt was even  _darker_  because it was also soaked in blood. There were cuts and gash marks all over his arms, but his legs were covered by the blanket of the bed, so who knows what his legs looked like in comparison to his arms. The cuts and gash marks stopped bleeding, but the bandages by the bed were most likely from his arms. The bandages were all covered with blood stains. The most disgusting part was, the bed was  _stained_  with red. In other words, the bed was covered in  _blood_. No wonder Nico didn't want to be in bed.

The older teen looked up at them, his hair covering most of his face. His deep, dark brown eyes were still visible, and there were a few cuts on his face, which may lead to scars.

"Nico?" Annabeth breathed.

"What?" Nico croaked out like he hasn't talked in years. Well, maybe that was true. Nico's voice was also a lot deeper now.

Percy's nervousness and excitement suddenly turned into anger while staring at the Ghost King. "Why did you leave without saying goodbye?" Percy loudly demanded as he stomped over to Nico.

Annabeth reached out for Percy's arm. "Percy, you shouldn't-" Annabeth tried to stop him.

Percy interrupted Annabeth's reasoning. "No, no I  _should_. I  _should_ , Annabeth. Nico, why did you just  _leave_  without saying goodbye? Do you realize how much we missed you? How much Hazel missed you? How much  _I_  missed you? Everyone thought you just went for a visit in the Underworld but  _no_. You were gone for days, for weeks, for months, and soon it was a year. Do you know how much Hazel cried, knowing that she never got a goodbye? Reyna told me after you guys stopped the two camps from clashing you just  _disappeared_. Like, what the hell, Nico? Why did you do it? Do you realize how much you tore Hazel apart just by doing that? You were gone for _three fucking years_ , Nico. Do you know how long that is? Did you think you could just  _disappear_  without anyone knowing? Because, as soon as we got back Hazel ran around camp looking for you. Do you know how heartbreaking it was seeing her so lost without you? She couldn't even celebrate without the thought of you not being there with her. We tried Iris-messaging you  _so many fucking times_. Where were you, Nico? What was the damn reason for your disappearance? Was it really that important? Don't just fucking stare at me, Nico, tell me. Why did you fucking disappear? What was the _important_  reason for you to have to break Hazel's heart like that?"

The discourse hung in the air while Percy stared intently at Nico, waiting for an answer. Annabeth glanced from Percy to Nico, with a worried look on her face. She didn't know the reason for Nico's disappearance, but she knew Nico just wasn't going to answer that easily.

Nico hesitated, before responding, "Why do you even  _care_?"

Why did he care? Was that all Nico had to say to him? Oh, Percy was  _more_  than angry now. He just wanted to slap Nico across the face, but he knew how much pain Nico was enduring at the moment. How much effort did it take just for Nico to  _talk_? But, Percy was still  _devastated_ , Nico broke Hazel's heart into a million shattered pieces and all Percy wanted was the reason. Why was Nico not telling him? Didn't he care for Hazel? Wasn't Hazel his sister? What was the  _special_ reason for doing that to his sister? Didn't Nico know the consequences?

Percy gritted his teeth. "Why do I want to know? Because I'm your _friend_ , Nico. We're all your friends. Have you not realized that? Friends worry about each other,  _that's_  why I care. I worried about you. We  _all_  worried about you. Why can't you just _tell_  me the reason, Nico? Is it really that hard?"

Gods, why was Nico not telling him?! Why was the Ghost King so secretive anyway? Percy didn't mind Nico keeping a few secrets from him, but he just wanted to know why he left. Did the reason even  _count_  as a secret?

Now it was Nico's turn to grit his teeth. Percy didn't know why Nico was so mad at him; he just wanted the reason why he left. Was it really such a big deal to him?

"Why can't you just mind your own fucking business, Percy?" Nico spat, wincing in pain from all the effort.

"Nico, you should rest," Annabeth cut in before Percy could retort. "You seem like you're in a lot of pain."

"No shit," Nico grunted, clearly angry. "I..."

"You what?" Annabeth tried a more gentle approach.

Nico hesitated, which is something Nico now does a lot, before responding, "I...can't sleep."

Annabeth cocked up an eyebrow. "Why not?"

Percy's eyes softened on Nico, feeling the same pain as the teen in front of him. "Tartarus," Percy answered for him.

Annabeth's eyes turned sympathetic. "Oh."

The idea of the three of them experiencing the wicked depths of Tartarus hung in the still air. The Sun was beginning to set, which meant that it was around seven or eight. The sky turned a brilliancy of pink, orange, purple, and light blue. It was like a light show, but it was better because nature had caused. Nature can be so pretty; no wonder Grover wanted to save the wild.

Chiron clopped into the room, and three pairs of eyes landed on the centaur. He cleared his throat, before beginning. "Nico, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Nico replied, surprisingly polite.

Chiron warm-heartedly smiled. "I'm glad to hear that Nico. Would you like to tell me this tale of yours that led you to be on the front porch of the Big House? It is absolutely fine if you prefer not to."

Nico exhaled briefly. "I was just exploring--traveling I guess--around the country. I was up in Maine looking around at the military school that I used to attend before...I knew of my heritage. Ironically enough, I was attacked by a large group of minotaurs by the same place I was attacked before when I was ten. I didn't kill them all; there were two left. I couldn't beat them all without collapsing and dying..." Nico trailed off for some strange reason, before continuing again. "And I decided to last minute shadow-travel away to a place where I could get healed, and the only place that would understand my injuries are demigods, like me. Since I was pretty close to Camp Half-Blood, I shadow-traveled here. I never really knew where I shadow-traveled at the camp, but I was just glad to be there before I collapsed."

"You're pretty lucky you collapsed in front of the Big House and Chiron found you." Annabeth nodded.

"That is quite an intriguing tale, Nico," Chiron commented. "I have many questions to offer you, but if that is all you would like to talk about, then I will not press any further."

"Unlike  _someone_ ," Nico grumbled, glaring at Percy.

"Heard that," shot Percy.

"Woops. Did you now?" Nico sarcastically stated, rolling his eyes.

"I see your dark sarcasm hasn't diminished these past years." Percy smirked.

"Did Percy just say 'diminished'?" Annabeth dramatically gasped. "For a seaweed brain, that is some very advanced vocabulary to use."

"Shut up." Percy rolled his eyes, shoving Annabeth playfully in the arm. Annabeth giggled at his response. Nico glared at them, but Percy was unsure why. He was pretty sure Nico was doing it involuntarily. His lack of human interaction may have caused his glare to be more venomous than before, which Percy had realized. Wait, why was Percy staring so intently into Nico's beautiful, dark brown eyes anyway? Okay, where did  _that_ come from? Clear your head, Percy, you have a girlfriend and she is literally standing right next to you.

"I should be good to shadow-travel away by tomorrow," Nico informed. "I feel pretty well right now anyway. I'm just going to stay for another day in case. Is that alright, Chiron?"

"No," Percy interrupted before Chiron could say anything.

"No?" Nico raised an eyebrow. "And, why is that?"

"Why don't you stay for a bit, Nico?" Percy offered. "We can call Hazel over if you want. We need some catching up to do anyway. It wouldn't hurt right?"

Nico's eyes cast downwards, looking at his knees that were covered with a blood stained blanket. He contemplated whether or not he should. He kept his eyes downwards, avoiding Percy's gaze still. What was Nico so nervous about?

Nico, without looking up, replied in a soft voice, "Sure...I...guess..." He reluctantly answered.

Percy grinned from ear to ear. He was excited to be hanging out with Nico again. They never really did three years ago, and since Nico's disappearance, Percy was starting to regret it. He was finally happy he got to turn that around this time.

* * *

 

**Nico di Angelo**

Nico bid his farewells to Percy, Annabeth, and Chiron as they left his room in the Big House. Annabeth offered to wash his Aviator jacket for him, so she left with the bloody jacket out of the room with the other two. Chiron softly closed the door behind them, and Nico could hear their footsteps fading away with every step.

Nico just wanted to scream loudly into a pillow nearby, but he  _certainly_  didn't want that. The items around him were all stained in blood, which is one reason why Nico didn't want to be in bed. Another reason was just that his ADHD was acting up now that he was near Percy. Gods, why did this have to happen to him? What did Nico ever do to Aphrodite?

Instead of screaming, Nico groaned loudly to himself and slapped a hand onto his forehead.

 _Stupid, stupid stupid_ , was all Nico thought to himself. He chronically chanted that in his head for a long while. If  _Percy_  didn't offer he would've rejected, and he would've been able to go on with his life. But,  _no_. The Fates just decided to be cruel to him. What did he even do to the world? Was it just because he was the son of Hades that life hated him so much?

He knew that if he rejected Percy, he would just become persistent and continuously beg with those puppy eyes of his until Nico was annoyed out of his mind. Why was Percy always like that? Why did Nico even  _like_ a guy like Percy?

Nico shook his head. He's delved deeper into this topic before, and it ended with an image of Percy in his bed. He did  _not_  want to have those thoughts ever again. They were all so disturbing, and yet, _enticing_.

Nico slapped himself, which was something he shouldn't have done. His face began to throb just when it decided to heal itself back up. Like he said: the Fates were cruel to him. He didn't want those stupid dirty thoughts anyway, so maybe the slap was a bit better.

Why did Percy have to be so... _Percy_? Jason had tried to convince Nico many times to confess his love to Percy, but Nico would  _never_  in his  _life_ do that. He'd kill himself first before he told Percy. Back in his time, liking another person with the same gender was wrong. And here Nico was doing that exact forbidden thing. But, what could Nico do? Percy was practically  _impressing_  the world without even realizing it.

That's just how oblivious Percy was. He didn't even know that Annabeth had a crush on him, and when Nico just met Percy, he pretty much asked if Annabeth was his girlfriend. It was  _that_  obvious. The whole world could be crushing on Percy (not the carrying-the-sky kind of crushing) and Percy wouldn't even realize it. Why did Nico like Percy so much?

Nico stared at the shadow of a nearby chair cast on the opposing wall. He could just shadow-travel away from this camp now and get his feelings done for. His feelings were pretty much exploding now that he saw Percy in his own eyes. And, after three years, Percy has become so much better-looking Nico could just pounce on him whenever he sees him. It was just so frustrating! Nico wished that he could just hate Percy for what he did to Bianca. But sadly, he can't. Percy had his own charm or  _something_.

Should he shadow-travel away? He would disappoint Percy, but it's not like he would see how Percy would react. Seeing Percy depressed and sad would break Nico's heart just much as Percy's. But then again, he wouldn't see his reaction.

Groaning again into the still air, he turned away from the shadow. Nico would bet anyone  _anything_  that he would regret not shadow-traveling away. The Fates were cruel to him, and Nico would've bet anything that he would accidentally confess to Percy and then he would get rejected. He  _was_  with Annabeth after all.

Was he allowed to leave this blood-stained room and go to take a walk to clear his mind? After the Apollo camper, Amitola, healed him, he felt like he could carry the sky. Not that he would try it. He'll leave that to Atlas.

But, even if he was  _physically_  healed, he was  _definitely_  not mentally healed. And Percy barging into his room while Nico was mentally praying that he wouldn't see Percy did  _not_  help. It was like the Fates were thinking:  _So, praying that you wouldn't see Percy at all while you're temporarily at Camp Half-Blood? Let's just make Percy barge into your room right now while you mentally pray for it not to happen. Have fun now. Not too much fun, of course. Though, we know you would like that, Nico._

Nico slapped his forehead again with a heavy sigh. His thoughts were just messed up. He  _really_  needed that walk to clear his mind.

He threw the blanket off of himself so that the now red blanket collided with the wall to his right. He threw his legs over the bed, slightly wincing as he pressed his feet to the ground. He slowly stood up, muttering curses chronically to his injured self as pain shot throughout his body. It wasn't that bad, he could still walk, he just had a new friend that followed him everywhere: Pain. Yep, his new friend that couldn't leave him wherever he went was named Pain. And, not the Pain from Naruto. The one from Naruto is actually spelled Pein. Or, was it? Well, whatever, his friend named Pain was  _not_  a shinobi from Akatsuki and his friend Pain did  _not_  fight and stab people with kunai knives and used special powers involving chakra. Well, technically Pain did. He  _did_  feel like he was being stabbed with a kunai knife at the moment, from all the pain. Guess his friend Pain really was Pein.

Well, Pein, since Nico and he were becoming friends now, Nico would be  _really_  obliged if he stopped stabbing him with a kunai knife. And, Nico still felt pain. Conclusion found: Pein will  _not_  take Nico's orders. At least the ghosts in the Underworld did. He  _was_  the Ghost King for a reason.

Nico shook his head. He was  _really_  getting off topic. He just wanted to go out for a walk through the forest where the games of Capture the Flag were held. That was all he wanted, instead of Percy...

Slapping himself once again for the stupid thought, Nico twisted the doorknob of his temporary room and began to walk out of the Big House.

The Sun was now below the horizon. The stars were gorgeous in the night sky Atlas currently carried. The moon wasn't full, but it was still stunning to look at. It shined brightly in the night as it contrasted against the midnight black sky. A breeze didn't whirl by since it was in the middle of summer. He could see the campfire lighted with golden by the cabins, but it was pretty far away. He was glad most of the campers were by the campfire doing the sing-a-long, so he wouldn't run into anyone. He just wanted to be alone right now. Well, technically, alone with Pein.

He sighed, before starting his "journey" towards the forest. He just felt like laying down on Zeus' fist (not the real fist) and just staring up at the beautiful stars and making out the constellations that he could remember. Those were one of his favorite past times, staring up at the stars. The one thing he hated about it was he was alone with his stupid thoughts, which were mostly about Percy. But now, it was different. He was alone with his thoughts and Pein. Which doesn't really make a difference, since Pein, in this case, was not even a living being.

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and carefully made his way over to the forest. Firstly, new campers would eye him suspiciously and say he was an intruder or something. Secondly, he just wanted to be alone. Thirdly, he didn't want to be disturbed. And fourthly, he didn't want to come into contact with a certain demigod by the name of Percy Jackson.

Nico was very quiet while making his way over to the forest. Nico was like a shadow, which is ironic because he can  _control_ them and  _travel_  through them.

Of course, why didn't Nico think of this earlier before he took the walk over to the forest? The Fates were being cruel to him, so of  _course_  things wouldn't go his way. He just  _had_  to go on a walk without thinking.

When Nico was sneaking past the Canoe Lake by the cabins, he spotted Percy dipping his feet into the water. Gods, why did Percy look so amazing under the moonlight? The way his sea-green eyes reflected the silver moonlight, his dark brown, windswept hair glistened like he was from a movie, his arms were so...

Nico slapped himself out of reflex from his thoughts, which was the worst possible idea of the century. The sound that resounded off from Nico's palm making contact with his cheek was the loudest sound made in the surroundings he was in. Which made Percy look up from the lake and glance over in Nico's direction where the sound came from.

 _Shit_ , was all that formed in Nico's mind.

"Nico?" Percy's voice called. "Nico? Nico, that's you! Isn't it? The darkness around you is covering your face, I can't see it clearly."

Nico glanced around him and realized that he was involuntarily summoning the shadows around him, most likely because he couldn't get to Zeus' fist and lay there alone with his thoughts and Pein. And, most likely because it was  _Percy_ that caught him. Well, that's just great.

"Hey, if you don't mind, but can you answer me so I know who I'm  _talking_  to?" Percy huffed.

"Sorry." Nico stepped out of the shadows, making them go back to normal.

"Nico!" Percy exclaimed, his face brightening, not that it was bright enough under the moonlight. "It was you! Wait...why are you out of bed? You should be  _resting_ , Nico!" Percy waved his arms in the air.

"My ADHD was acting up," Nico slightly lied. His ADHD was indeed, acting up, and he could  _not_  stay in that room any longer. It was like slowly getting suffocated. Nico just wanted a walk  _alone_. Was that too much to ask?!

"Yeah, I get you." Percy nodded, probably thinking back to a time when his ADHD acted up. He patted the spot on the ground next to him. "Come sit with me then, since you're out here."

Nico really wanted to reject, but the soft and friendly smile Percy was giving him was stopping him from rejecting. He didn't want to see such a friendly expression turn sad if he rejected. That would be too much for him. Like he mentioned before, seeing Percy sad was just as saddening for Nico.

Nico sat down next to Percy, and he slung his left arm over Nico's shoulders in a friendly gesture. Great, the Fates  _really_ hated him if Percy was doing this. Nico's face started to burn up from being so close to the son of Poseidon, but he attempted to suppress the feeling, which failed.

Percy broke the momentary silence. "We should hang out more. I mean, three years is a  _long_  time, you know?" Percy stared at Nico curiously, who kept shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Percy sighed. "Look, I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier when I saw you today. It's just...I was so mad when you left. My feelings took over once I saw you again. It's...you know what? I'm just really really sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. I'm sorry, Nico." Percy averted his gaze over to the lake, not wanting to have a fight with Nico again.

Nico risked a glance at the now twenty year-old young adult. He looked so sad, guilty, and regretful, which made Nico's heart just break. Nico sighed, suppressing his feelings to over-comfort the hero of Olympus in a loving kind of way. "You don't have to be sorry. I understand."

Percy glanced back at Nico, who was staring with an unreadable expression on his face. He warm-heartedly smiled. "Thanks, Nico. I really appreciate it. I won't force you to tell me the reason why you left, even if it is killing me. I don't want to fight with you ever again, Nico. Never, ever, again."

Nico gave a small smile to the sea-green eyed demigod. "Me neither." He shook his head. "I wouldn't want that either."

"Good." Percy grinned. "Guess we're finally on the same page, you and me."

And for one of the first and rare times of his life, Nico was very happy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why are these chapters so much longer than what I usually write?

**Annabeth Chase**

The moon was now high in the sky, so the Sun was now low below the horizon. The stars twinkled gorgeously in the black night sky that blanketed the world, the same black sky that Atlas continued to carry. It was past their curfew now, so everyone was at their cabins either sleeping or just lounging around with their half-siblings.

Annabeth, though, was doing neither. She was pacing back in forth, her dominant hand on her chin, as she contemplated. Her half-brother, Malcolm, only stared at her with confusion, as Annabeth continued to pace.

“Uh, Annabeth?” Malcolm finally called to her after about ten minutes of pacing. “What…are you doing?”

Annabeth halted after she heard her half-brother’s voice. She glared at him, but her face soon fell at the sympathetic look Malcolm was giving her. She sighed, and Malcolm patted the seat next to him on his bed. She sat on the bed and glanced at Malcolm, who waited for an explanation.

She sighed again, before replying, “I think…well…Percy’s being very oblivious.”

Malcolm seemed unimpressed. “Annabeth, sister, we’ve already known this. Anything else that is actually new to our ears?” He slung his left arm around Annabeth’s shoulders.

Annabeth chuckled, leaning into Malcolm’s comforting touch. “Percy’s just being oblivious about his feelings.”

Malcolm cocked an eyebrow, glancing to face his half-sister. “And...his feelings to whom?”

“His feelings to Nico!” Annabeth blurted out, devastated.

“But…isn’t he…?”

“Yes!” Annabeth huffed, crossing her arms. “I know he’s dating me. It’s just... when Percy and I saw Nico today, I saw the look in Percy’s eyes. He may not have realized it himself—”

“Which is highly likely,” added Malcolm.

“Yes, it is highly likely,” Annabeth agreed. “But, Percy most likely hasn’t realized it. And, I don’t think I could take it if he  _does_  realize it and we…” Annabeth’s voice faltered. She was close to tears, but she didn’t want to cry.  _Especially_  not in front of Malcolm.

Malcolm patted Annabeth’s left shoulder in a brotherly manner. “Hey, you’ll be fine. You know how oblivious Percy is, right?”

“I know,” Annabeth whispered, barely nodding her head. “But…what if he…? And I mean…I don’t think I could…And what would Nico even do? And…I’m just so…Can I just scream now, please?”

Malcolm lightly chuckled. “No, you cannot wake up your other half-siblings. And, I’m sure Percy wouldn’t break up with you. You both have gone through  _Tartarus_  together, for Hades’ sake! You’ve both known each other since you were what? Twelve? And, you’re twenty now! And, you know how loyal Percy is. And oblivious, for this matter. You’ll be fine, Annabeth, really.”

“Okay,” Annabeth managed, sniffling as a tear rolled down her cheek.

“Hey, no crying.” Malcolm pouted, wiping a tear that was running down her cheek. “I thought the great Annabeth Chase had lots of pride, didn’t she now?” He chuckled. “Let’s just go get some rest for now, and have a good day tomorrow, okay?”

Annabeth could only nod as Malcolm helped her into her bed. “Thanks…Malcolm.”

* * *

 

**Percy Jackson**

After Percy waved goodbye to Nico, he returned to his cabin. Well, “sneaked” would be the better term. Percy totally lost time when Nico and he were sharing some stories that happened the past three years. In the middle of one of Percy’s stories, Nico realized that it was most likely way past curfew, and Nico shadow-traveled them back to where the cabins were located, so they didn’t have to go through the forest. Nico almost collapsed onto the ground, before Percy caught him. Shadow-travelling two people really took a toll on Nico. But he said he didn’t mind, but Percy still didn’t want Nico collapsing because of him.

The harpies were now out on watch, so Percy had to creep back to Cabin Three: the Poseidon Cabin. The Poseidon Cabin was very long, but it had a low ceiling. All the windows faced the sea, of course, because Poseidon, right? The walls were rough gray stone with pieces of seashells and coral, so it looked like the bottom of the ocean floor. An insignia of a golden trident was above the door, and it beautifully shimmered in the moonlight. Percy better get inside before the harpies find him.

He quietly opened the door about ten inches wide so that he could slip in and close the door as fast as he could. He heaved a sigh and switched on the lights, feeling grateful to the Fates that he wasn’t caught.

There were six beds set up in the elongated Poseidon Cabin. A TV hung across one of the beds, which was Percy’s. A fountain sat in the corner, spraying up water and forming a rainbow, which was the fountain that Percy used to Iris-Message others, which was why it was filled up with golden drachmas. A few bronze Hippocampi decorated the ceiling, and underwater plants and corals sat upon the window sill of each window.

Percy flopped onto the bed and stretched like a lazy cat, yawning. He was tired. Maybe he was just overexcited for seeing Nico at Camp Half-Blood, that it took all the energy from him. Seriously, the way Nico’s stunning dark brown eyes looked when he was staring at Percy, the way his gorgeous sleek black hair looked under the moonlight…the most beautiful smile he’s ever seen Nico make…

Percy snapped out of his thoughts. Wait, what was Percy  _thinking_?! Nico was his  _friend_ , nothing more…right? And anyway, Percy already has the most perfect lover he can ever have: the beautiful daughter of Athena, Annabeth Chase. He doesn’t need anyone else. His life is already the way he wants it to be…not perfect, but still just right. A few conflicts here and there, but nothing personally bad has ever happened after the Giants’ War.

But the way Nico looked when he smiled…Percy will  _never_  get over that expression. The smile Nico gave to Percy was actually a  _genuine_  smile, and it was the best thing Percy has seen all day. Nico smiling was very rare, but Nico smiling a  _genuine_  smile—and not to Hazel—almost seemed impossible to think of. It would be  _extremely_  impossible to think of  _before_  Percy saw that smile directed towards him. Percy realized that Nico smiling a genuine smile was one of the best things Percy has ever experienced his whole life, and he would do everything in his power just to see it again.

Percy sighed, kicking off his shoes and setting the pen, Riptide, on his bedside table. He yawned, not bothering to change into his pajamas, and he slowly slid into a deep sleep.

The morning sunshine radiated through the windows that had a beautiful view of the sea. It shined on various places in the Poseidon cabin, such as the TV, the fountain, and Percy’s face. Which was the reason as to why Percy woke up.

Percy yawned loudly and stretched. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, adjusting his view after just immediately waking up. Normally he would wake up and stay in bed for another hour or so, but today for some odd reason, Percy just wanted to be up and about.

He ran his fingers through his hair before getting up and collecting his shoes that he kicked off from the night before. He shoved Riptide deep into his pockets. He decided that he’ll go take a shower later. He just really wanted to roam around the cabins, but he didn’t know why. All he knew was that it felt like he wanted to see something very specific. It was too early in the morning to process what he desired to see, but he’ll find out sooner or later as the day ticks by.

He ran his fingers through his hair once more, trying to straighten it out, before opening the door of his cabin and stepping outside.

The Sun shined gorgeously as if it were three in the afternoon. Since it was the morning, a slight breeze wafted through the morning air. The trees’ leaves shook like a cheerleader’s pom-poms, and Percy’s clothes buffeted against the wind. He could feel the heat from the Sun’s rays on him, which were at the perfect temperature so that it felt nice. It was probably the most perfect weather you could ever wish for.

Campers were scattered around doing leisurely activities: just waking up, on the front porch of their cabin, heading up to the Dining Pavilion to start devouring breakfast, hanging out with their friends, going to start heading out to train by themselves or with comrades, starting their daily camp activities, et cetera—the normal things to do at camp.

Percy strolled around, unsure of what to do now that he was awake. He was rarely awake in the mornings; he would only be awake if he was assigned to teach the new campers how to fight at the sword arena. But for he’s been given a rest, and he thinks that Jason had something to do with it. Before he knew that Nico was at Camp Half-Blood yesterday, Percy saw Jason pleading to Chiron about something, though Percy let it slide. Now he has an idea as to why he was given a break. But, why did Jason ask for Percy to have a break anyway?

And wait a minute…Nico? Nico was at Camp Half-Blood? Was he really? Percy thought it was just all a dream, but apparently not. Yelling at Nico for leaving without a goodbye, and apologizing to him at the lake and spending the rest of the night with him. That was all…real? It seemed like it was all just a fantasy dream, and that his dreams just wanted to mess with his mind of how much of a good friend Nico could be, and then when Percy would wake up, he’d just miss Nico even more because he’ll never see the guy again. But, apparently his mind just blanked out this morning, because Nico  _was_  actually here. Wow, never waking up early in the morning again.

Percy sighed, and he soon decided what he should do with his day to be a bit productive. He trudged over to the Dining Pavilion for some breakfast, before he would train at the sword arena. When he got there, he found Jason smirking at a not-trying-to-be-flustered Nico di Angelo who was leaning against a Greek column. Percy raised an eyebrow and slowly walked up to them, trying to catch up on their conversation.

"—be the best for you and me!” Jason gesticulated wildly. “You do not know how much I’ve suffered just by keeping this…” Jason trailed off and sighed.

“ _No_ ,” Nico flatly replied. “I’ve told you a  _million_  times… _no_.” Nico crossed his arms. “And, it’s Cupid’s fault you suffer because of it.  _Not_  me. So stop complaining like a child and be the oh-so-great Roman that you usually are.”

“Very fun, di Angelo.” Jason rolled his eyes. “Too early in the morning for that anyway.

It was now Nico’s turn to roll his eyes. “Not a morning person, eh, Grace?”

“Shut up.” Jason punched Nico in the shoulder playfully.

“You are so lucky you are allowed to touch me, or I would’ve—”

“Broken my hand so I would never be able to fight properly ever again, yes I’ve heard this many times, Nico,” Jason finished with a huff. “I feel really bad for other campers that accidentally touch you.”

“You should.” Nico smirked, seemingly having a flashback of various campers who have touched him. His smirk soon faltered as he cautiously asked, “You…haven’t told Piper…about this…right?”

Jason smiled in a reassuring way. “’Course not, Neeks. I would never, even if Percy told me he liked you, and he begged for your opinion on him.”

Nico’s blush darkened. “You…little…fucking…”

Jason’s smile turned morphed into a smirk. “What if Percy  _did_  though? I mean, it’s always possible. When you weren’t around for the first few months, have you seen how much Percy sulked? Oh wait, you didn’t, because you weren’t there. Oh, you should’ve seen it. I had my suspicions about Percy.”

Nico buried his face in his hands and slowly slid until he was sitting on the ground with his knees brought up to his chest. “Please stop, Grace.”

“When I found out that you were here, I _begged_  Chiron to let Percy have a break so that he can…” Jason wiggled his eyes suggestively. “Spend some more time with you…and maybe feel some… _feelings_ , hm?”

Nico’s head snapped up at the blonde demigod with wide eyes. “You…you did not!”

Jason’s smirk continued. “Oh, I  _did_.”

“Grace, I will personally escort you to Tartarus once I—”

“Hey, guys!”

Jason whirled around and Nico looked around Jason to find the sea-green eyed demigod, Percy.

Percy closed the distance between them. Percy was really confused about Jason’s and Nico’s previous conversation, but he’ll find out what it means sooner or later. He now knew that if he ever asked Nico to force something out, it’d turn into a fight, which was something Percy will now try to avoid with Nico. But, when Nico brought up the “escort to Tartarus,” Percy knew that he did not want to hear the end of that, and neither did Jason. So, Percy thought it was the most perfect time to interrupt their conversation.

“Hey, Percy!” Jason greeted like they weren’t just talking about him.

Nico only rolled his eyes. “Hey, Perce.”

“Have you guys ever realized that Perce is like  _purse_?”

They all glanced to their left (Percy to his right) and they found Leo grinning like a madman.

“So…Percy is now a purse?” Jason raised an eyebrow.

"Yep! Which also means that Percy gets to carry my stuff! Get it? Because purses carry the owner's stuff.” Leo elbowed Percy in the chest once he reached them.            

“That’s the thing though.  _You_  are  _not_  my owner,” Percy countered.

“So, does that mean  _Annabeth_  can make you carry her stuff?” Leo grinned.

“Well, that sounds neat.”

“ _How_  many people are up this early in the morning?!” Nico cried out to no one in particular, throwing his hands up in the air as he stared at the blonde-haired daughter of Athena.

“Well, excuse me. I’m just as surprised as you are.” Annabeth chuckled, resting her hand on her hip once she reached her group of friends. She raised an eyebrow. “Nico, why are you sitting on the ground?”

“Maybe he wants to be closer to his father!” Leo answered.

“Yeah, okay.” Nico rolled his eyes. “It’s like asking why your hand is on your hip,” He directed at Annabeth,

“Maybe Athena—”

“Okay, Leo, please stop,” Jason interrupted the Latino.

“ _Anyway_.” Annabeth eyed Leo weirdly. “What do you guys want to do today?”

“We should do something Nico likes since he’s going to be here for…how long?” Percy tilted his head.

“I don’t have a favorite thing to do,” Nico huffed. “And besides, you told me I should stay. I don’t know how long I’d be here.”

“Does that I mean I get to pick?” Percy hopefully asked.

“It better be reasonable,” Nico replied. “I’m not going to stay here for as long as you’re here, which is the rest of the summer.”

Percy pouted at the response and put on his best begging puppy eyes. “But, Neeks—”

“Nope. Nope. Don’t. Even,” Nico interrupted, burying his head in his hands once more to shield his eyes from Percy’s very convincing ones.

Annabeth smiled. “Percy’s puppy eyes can get me to do  _anything_. I hate it.” She sighed.

“No kidding,” Nico agreed.

“So, what are we going to do?” Jason asked, directing the group of demigods back onto topic.

Leo shrugged. “Sorry to turn down the offer, but I just came here for breakfast before I start improving the Argo II again. Wouldn’t want to annoy my siblings with my lion.”

“Your…lion?” Percy blinked at the son of Hephaestus.

"He means his stomach,” Annabeth informed.

"But why…a lion?”

“Because his stomach—when growling—is as loud as a lion,” Annabeth answered.

“ _Oh-h_.” Percy nodded, finally realizing it.

“Yes, Percy, yes. This is  _exactly_  why I call you Seaweed Brain.” Annabeth chuckled before kissing Percy on the cheek. “Which is one reason why I love you so much.”

Percy grinned, before capturing Annabeth’s lips. “Love you too, Wise Girl.”

* * *

 

**Nico di Angelo**

Nico averted his eyes from the two lovers, trying to keep his emotionless mask intact as Annabeth wrapped her arms around Percy’s neck. Jason glanced worriedly at Nico, which Nico noticed from the corner of his averted eyes. Leo stared wide-eyed at the two lovers, unsure of whether he should make a stupid joke about it, or make a break for it to the Dining Pavilion before he sees anything more.

Once Annabeth and Percy broke apart, Jason cleared his throat, which got the attention of his demigod friends surrounding him. “Nico and I are going to go down to the lake, okay?”

“We are?” Nico cocked up an eyebrow, staring up at the Roman.

“Yes. We are.” Jason firmly replied.

“Can we come?” Percy tilted his head to the side, wrapping his arms around Annabeth’s waist.

"Woah! Okay, before I see some Rated M content, I’m just going to go eat some breakfast, and then improve the Argo II until the movie is over.” Leo then darted over to the Hephaestus table at the Dining Pavilion, meeting up with his half-siblings that were already there. “Make sure you use protection!” Leo called over his shoulder.

“Uh, well, I need to talk to about something pretty urgent to Nico. Sorry, Percy,” Jason quickly replied. “Well, see you guys later. Good luck with your Rated M movie.”

Percy and Annabeth blushed darkly before Jason grabbed Nico’s wrist and dragged him over to the lake that Percy and Nico were at the previous night. They seated themselves in front of the lake, Jason staring intently at Nico, while he averted his eyes to look straight ahead at the glistening lake. He already knew what Jason wanted to talk about to Nico, and he  _really_  didn’t want to talk about it.

“So, what do you want to talk about…?” Nico reluctantly asked, even though he already knew what the blonde-haired Roman had in mind.

“I’m pretty sure you already know what I want to talk about, judging from your lack of eye contact,” Jason replied.

Nico sighed. “I know. I just want to get this over with. So, you start first.”

“Well, for one, you’ll have to tell him sooner or later.”

“Like I said, I’ll tell him when I’m reborn after I die. Well, it depends if I’m even offered rebirth,” Nico huffed.

“I’m sure you would,” Jason reassured. “And, like what  _I’ve_  said, you won’t remember anything from your past life when you’re reborn!” Jason waved his arms in the air to perform emphasis.

"That’s the _point_ , Grace.” Nico rolled his eyes. “I’m surprised you aren’t stupid enough to let it slide. Well, you  _did_  save Olympus, so I should give you credit for that.”

Jason sighed heavily and swiped a hand across his face. “You’re going to have to do it sometime in your life, even if I have to get Lou to perform some magic on you and make you tell him without you even knowing it.”

Nico rested his right elbow on his knee, cradling his face in his right arm. “If you want me to tell him so much, then why don’t you do it for me?” Nico grumbled.

“Because, you confessing your feelings for him is better for you emotionally,” Jason explained.

“I’m _fine_ , Jason. Physically, mentally, emotionally, psychologically, and…not really educationally, but that doesn’t matter,” Nico said, counting off his fingers. “So, you can tell him yourself.”

“Annabeth would kill you if you said that to her.” Jason laughed.

“Yeah.” Nico shrugged. “Which is why we can’t tell her.”

Jason chuckled. “Agreed. But seriously, you’re going to have to tell him.”

“I’ll worry about it later.”

Jason rolled his eyes. “You say that  _all_  the time, Nico. You know I’m serious. I just want to help you.”     

“All you’re doing is annoying me and taking time away from my day,” Nico grumbled.

“What I am trying to do—“

“Which does not seem like it’s working.” Nico cut in.

“—is help you, Nico.” Jason finished as if Nico never interrupted. “And, you  _really_  need the pieces of advice I give you.”

“I don’t,” Nico objected. “I can just go on with my life without Percy even knowing I like him!  _Or_ , I could just get over with it and pretend like I never had a crush on him like a little girl!” Nico sounded a bit more frustrated this time. “

“And those ideas are the stupidest ones,” Jason informed. “If you want to be  _rational_ about this situation, then you should just tell him and get it over with.” Jason’s eyes softened as he looked at Nico. “Why are you so afraid anyway?”

Nico sighed, not taking his gaze off of Canoe Lake. “I’m just…afraid of what he’ll think of me. Since I’m…you know…into guys and stuff. And, to make it worse, I  _like_ him. He already has Annabeth!”

“He’s not going to think any less of you,” Jason reassured. “In fact, I think he’ll feel accomplished since he knows more about you. I’m pretty positive Percy has been wanting to get along with you more after…what happened. And, Percy won’t take it so seriously. He’ll just acknowledge your feelings for him.”

“I really doubt that,” Nico snorted.

"He  _will_ , Nico. Just tell him. Whenever I see him, your secret just floods my mind and I just want him to know, but I can’t betray you by telling him behind your back,” Jason said.

“I won’t and I never will,” Nico finalized. “It’s not  _my_  fault you know my secret crush on Percy.”

“I know.” Jason sighed. “Well, at least I tried.”

* * *

 

**Percy Jackson**

The others’ attention directed to Jason as he cleared his throat. “Nico and I are going to go down to the lake, okay?”

“We are?” Nico raised an eyebrow, staring up at the blonde.

“Yes. We are.” Jason firmly answered.

“Can we come?” Percy offered, tilted his head to the side and wrapping his arms around Annabeth’s waist.

“Woah! Okay, before I see some Rated M content, I’m just going to go eat some breakfast, and then improve the Argo II until the movie is over.” Leo rushed over to the Hephaestus table at the Dining Pavilion, meeting up with his half-siblings that were already there devouring their breakfast. “Make sure you use protection!” Leo called over his shoulder with a grin.

“Uh, well, I need to talk to about something pretty urgent to Nico. Sorry, Percy,” Jason rapidly informed. “Well, see you guys later. Good luck with your Rated M movie.”

Percy and Annabeth blushed darkly as Jason grabbed Nico’s wrist, pulled him up from his place on the ground, and dragged him past the Golden Couple in the direction of Canoe Lake.

Percy cocked up an eyebrow. “That…was weird.”

"Very,” Annabeth agreed. “I’m going to get some breakfast for now. You coming?”

Percy shook his head. “I’m not very hungry.”

Annabeth shrugged. “Suit yourself.” She leaned up on her toes and pecked a kiss on Percy’s lips. “See you around.”

Percy affectionately smiled behind the retreating form of his lovely girlfriend. He had something else to do in mind.

He quietly followed Jason and Nico to Canoe Lake. Percy didn’t know why he was doing it, but they needed to leave so quickly, Percy just got curious. He knew Jason and Nico built a strong friendship during the war against Gaea and her forces, but he never knew what they talked about. Today was the day to find out.

He lost sight of Jason and Nico, but he had the suspicion they went to Canoe Lake. So, that’s where Percy’s destination was now set.

He soon found them (finally) and he hid behind a tree, peeking from the side to eavesdrop of the two other demigods of the Big Three.

“—away from my day,” Nico grumbled, clearly annoyed about the conversation they were currently having. He looked like he’d rather be anywhere else than there talking about whatever they were talking about with Jason. Or…with  _anybody_  for that matter.

“What I am trying to do—“

"Which does not seem like it’s working,” Nico abruptly cut in.

“—is help you, Nico,” Jason said, ignoring Nico’s comment. “And, you  _really_  need the pieces of advice I give you.”

“I don’t,” Nico denied. “I can just go on with my life without Percy even knowing I like him!  _Or_ , I could just get over with it and pretend like I never had a crush on him like a little girl!” Nico sounded a bit more frustrated this time. “

"And those ideas are the stupidest ones,” Jason informed. “If you want to be  _rational_ about this situation, then you should just tell him and get it over with.” Jason’s eyes softened as he glanced at Nico. “Why are you so afraid anyway?”

Nico sighed, still staring at the beautiful, glistening Canoe Lake. “I’m just…afraid of what he’ll think of me. Since I’m…you know…into guys and stuff. And, to make it worse, I  _like_ him. He already has Annabeth!”

“He’s not going to think any less of you.” Jason softly reassured. “In fact, I think he’ll feel accomplished since he knows more about you. I’m pretty positive Percy has been wanting to get along with you more after…what happened. And, Percy won’t take it so seriously. He’ll just acknowledge your feelings for him.”

"I really doubt that,” Nico snorted.

“He  _will_ , Nico. Just tell him. Whenever I see him, your secret just floods my mind and I just want him to know, but I can’t betray you by telling him behind your back,” Jason said with a sad tone in his voice.

“I won’t and I never will,” Nico finalized. “It’s not  _my_  fault you know my secret crush on Percy.”

“I know.” Jason sighed. “Well, at least I tried.”

Percy’s head hit the tree trunk as he processed the whole conversation. Nico had a  _crush_ on him? Nico _liked_  him? This was  _not_  going well with Percy’s brain.

He slowly snuck away so he wouldn’t get spotted. Once he knew he was far enough, he stopped sneaking and he sprinted to his cabin. Percy ran into his cabin, rapidly shutting the door shut. He slid his back until he was on the ground, still trying to process everything he heard from the conversation.

Nico. The son of  _Hades_. Liked  _him_? That idea was totally impossible. Percy could never imagine Nico liking someone, except for Hazel, but she doesn’t count. Other than that, it was hard imagining Nico to have feelings for someone. He was a cold-hearted one, not one who dealt with feelings like others. Wait, Percy’s making Nico sound like he’s a robot now. Nico is  _obviously_  human, well, as human as a demigod could be. Nico did deal with feelings, but not with  _loving_  feelings, as far as Percy knew.

He probably heard the conversation wrong. Maybe they were talking in some secret code? What if they  _knew_  Percy was eavesdropping and they decided to mock him? Maybe they did this just so that they could have something to laugh about together behind Percy’s back? No, Jason wasn’t that mean. And he knew Nico would never do that, even though he  _does_  give people the cold shoulder.

Shaking his head and taking a deep breath, he decided to clear his mind by sparring with a certain Annabeth Chase. Should he talk to her about this? Annabeth always knew what to do. She seemed to always know what was happening.

But, it doesn’t seem right to tell Annabeth. It was  _Nico’s_  life after all. He didn’t want to butt in by telling someone, who would only tell another, et cetera. Next thing you know, there will be a newspaper with a headline: GHOST KING’S FEELINGS FOR HERO OF OLYMPUS. Or, something clever along those lines. Percy never was a creative one; that’s Annabeth’s doing.

He swung open his door and closed it behind him as he stepped out into the daylight. He needed to talk to someone about this, but who? Leo would most likely be of no help, neither would Clarisse. Piper would go on chronically like when Annabeth talks about architecture. Annabeth was never fond of the son of Hades, and it just felt wrong to tell her, for some strange reason. Jason, obviously not, and of course not Nico. Frank wasn’t good in these types of situations…but what about Hazel? Surely she can help him with her half-brother’s issues. Unless she doesn’t know of this particular secret. Impossible. Nico and Hazel talked about everything together…right?

Maybe he shouldn’t take that risk. If Hazel never knew and Percy told her, she’d blow all up at Nico. Then, Nico would know that someone eavesdropped and asked who told her, then Hazel would be honest and say Percy did. And  _then_ , Nico would be extremely outraged at him, and in the worst possible case, leave Camp Half-Blood without saying goodbye  _again_. He’d more or less sneak away than just leave.

Percy sighed heavily and swiped a hand down his face. Maybe he should talk to Hazel, but be careful of what he says. Maybe he should just hint at it, and see if Hazel could guess.

Agh! This is too much thinking for Percy’s brain! He’s probably going to explode from all of it. How does a child of Athena live with this?! He’ll never understand them. He can’t even go five minutes without straying off topic. Unless he were in a life-or-death situation like all demigods were.

He just continued his plan to spar in the sword arena. But the question is: with whom? Sparring with Jason or Nico wouldn’t help; they would only remind him. Hazel is way too far away. Leo fights with a hammer and fire. Frank fights with a bow. Reyna is way too far as well. Annabeth would pester him since she could  _always_  tell when something was wrong. Piper? No, she could also tell what was wrong. Plus, she was the daughter of Aphrodite—goddess of love. Well, that settles it. Against the straw dummy it is.

He made his way from his cabin—the Poseidon cabin—over to the sword arena. Many people knew him as the “Hero of Olympus,” so most people have always wanted to see him in action. Which is why Percy always trained in the back of the sword arena. He felt  _really_  self-conscience whenever people just watched him whenever he trained.

He positioned himself in front of a straw dummy. Only a few people who caught him walking into the arena followed him and decided to watch. At least it was only a few.

Well, all that was about to change.

He pulled a pen out of his pocket and uncapped it, revealing Anaklusmos—Riptide. Before he swung Riptide at the straw dummy dressed in Greek armor, he heard a voice behind him.

“Need a sparring partner?”

Percy whirled around to find Nico di Angelo. He was holding his Stygian Iron sword in one hand, his other hanging at his side. His head was cocked to one side, waiting for Percy’s response.

Percy gulped. He could not look at Nico di Angelo the same way ever again, now that he knew Nico had a secret crush on him. It was just…weird. Nico looked as if he never considered about having feelings for Percy. He was really good at concealing his feelings. If they were even strong feelings, of course.

Percy realized that he was staring way too long at Nico’s deep dark brown eyes. Now that he concentrated on them, they were extremely gorgeous in their own way. It was also kind of sad, which made Percy feel guilty.

His eyes were a beautiful dark shade of brown. They were big and round, yet they didn’t hold any emotion in them. Like he was hiding his true feeling behind a wall or some sort so that no one would know. Or, he just didn’t want to accept those feelings, and he hid them deep down so that he would never have access to them again. Nico was  _really_   _really_ good at concealing his feelings. Something that Percy could never do.

Everyone that was excited to watch Percy train gave quizzical looks at the new demigod. No one’s ever seen him before; not at the sing-a-long, Dining Pavilion, Capture the Flag, nowhere. They wondered who he was since they guessed Percy knew him. Either that or they thought he was just some random demigod wanting to be Percy’s friend.

Percy smiled. Even if he wanted to take this opportunity to clear his mind from whatever Nico and Jason were talking about, having Nico here seemed reassuring somehow. At least he wasn’t alone with some demigods staring at him like he was a God. Well, he  _was_  offered immortality once.

“Sure,” Percy replied. “No rules. First one that gets hit, it’s over.”

Nico nodded with a mischievous smirk as he got into a battle stance in front of Percy. “So, powers then? You know we can tear up the whole camp if we try hard enough.”

“That’s where the fun lies.” Percy mirrored his smirk.

“Alright.” Nico chuckled. “This’ll be fun. Ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Percy got into a battle stance.

“You know, if we’re using our powers, shouldn’t we tell the other campers to back off a bit?” Nico tilted his head to the side.

That was where Percy took his chance. He summoned water all the way from Canoe Lake and shot his free hand forward, sending a pressured shot of water hurtling towards a not-prepared Nico.

“Too late for that.” Percy smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

**Nico di Angelo**

Nico stared wide-eyed at the pressured stream of water, before dodging very sloppily out of the way to the right and nearly hitting his head on the ground.

“Cheap trick, Jackson.” Nico pushed himself off from the ground, wiping his forehead with the back of his sword hand. “Can’t go easy on someone injured like me?”

Percy smirked in triumph at the results. “You don’t seem very injured to me. Besides, you’re one of the Big Three’s children too. You can handle this way better than others.”

Everyone gaped at the fact Nico was a child of the Big Three. Many stared wide-eyed and with their mouth hanging open. Some more people that heard the last comment decided to join around them and see how the battle would turn out; two children of the Big Three going all out on each other. This could be interesting.

They most likely guessed—from the way Nico dressed and looked (black everything)—he was a child of Hades. They only knew of a child of Pluto, Hazel Levesque, but never a child of Hades. The hero of Olympus knowing this child of Hades was also another astonishing thing.

The new campers—which were most of the campers there—had many questions forming in their heads. How did the famous Percy Jackson know this child of Hades? Did the child of Hades take part in the Giants’ War? What about the Titans’ War? How come he doesn’t go to Camp Half-Blood? How long have they even known each other? How strong is a child of Hades anyway? And in some other cases: Is he single? Does he have a girlfriend/boyfriend? What’s his type anyway?

Now the campers were more than eager for this battle to get started, even if it was just a little challenge. Well, a challenge between two demigods of the Big Three can’t be considered as “little”.

Nico smiled evilly, determined to get revenge for that surprise attack. This could get  _very_  interesting.

The campers surrounding the two demigods spread out as Nico and Percy charged at each other, and the sound of Stygian Iron and celestial bronze sounded throughout the air.

They pushed their swords against each other, trying to topple over the other. Nico went up the kick Percy in the leg, but Percy jumped back, resulting in Nico kicking air.

“Not very Greek-like, eh, Nico?” Percy raised an eyebrow. “Maybe you just haven’t been spending enough time here.”

“Is that your excuse to keep me here?” snorted Nico. He spread his arms, and the shadows crept up towards the son of Hades, as he chanted under his breath.

“Woah! This is not fair!” Percy yelped as he was suddenly surrounded by eight skeletal warriors.

“No rules, right?” Nico snickered as he was swallowed into the shadows.

The skeletal warriors lumbered over to Percy. He stared shocked at them, turned around in a full three-sixty, and felt a warm tug in his stomach. He pulled his hands as if he were pulling a rope, and a column of water came at his will. He spun around, washing the column of water over each skeletal warrior surrounding him.

Which was where Nico took his chance.

He sprinted, like a shadow, over to Percy once there were two skeletal warriors left. He sprung himself from the ground, preparing himself to kick Percy upside the head—not too hard of course, this was only a sparring challenge. He didn’t want to kill the guy.

Percy seemed to have predicted this course of action, for he stepped to the side. Nico landed on his feet and glared at a smirking Percy.

Percy cocked up an eyebrow with a smile plastered on his stunning face. “I was wondering where you went.”

Everyone was spectating—jaw-dropped and wide-eyed—at the Necromancy Nico performed. He  _summoned_  skeletal warriors  _right from the ground_. What more can a child of Hades do? All the camper surrounding the Big Three’s children were craving to know.

Percy and Nico ran up to each other again, clashing and pulling back their swords in a repeating pattern. The sound of Stygian Iron to celestial bronze rang all throughout the arena, each strike making most of the campers flinch. They were as fast as lightning—good thing a child of neither Zeus nor Jupiter were here.

They pulled back and sprung backward simultaneously like they have been performing the part for days. Both were panting and had beads of sweat forming on their now damp foreheads. Nico’s bangs that draped down to cover his face now stuck to it from all the sweat. His jeans and T-shirt also clung to his skin. If only he was a son of Poseidon like Percy, he wouldn’t have to deal with this. But, he won’t let this minor factor stop him from winning against Percy.

Percy summoned the water once more, shooting bullets of water at Nico at chronic speed—which was indeed very fast. His feet were planted to the ground, but he pivoted on his foot to continue getting Nico soaked. But, Nico was retreating; somersaulting across the floor of the sword arena, intercepting some water bullets with his dark Stygian Iron sword, and sidestepping at the bullets of water that had bad aim. He needed to get close to Percy to hit him, and he didn’t have enough time to summon more skeletal warriors. So, what should he do now? Dodging the water bullets wouldn’t be a plan that would last very long.

An idea clicked in his mind like a light bulb turning on above his head in those cartoons. He  _did_  have a way to hit Percy, or trap him at least.

He somersaulted to the right, and he felt the bullet of water shoot past his ear. He landed on his feet and quickly glanced where the water bullet was previously, before turning his attention back to Percy. He could tell the son of Poseidon was growing more fatigue from using his demigod powers so much, which was just the opening Nico needed.            

He spread his palm outward—palm facing the sky—and curled his fingers together, despite the fact it felt like someone was trying to push his fingers back down. He continued until his hand was in a tight fist. He thrust his hand up, even though it felt like someone was sitting on his hand. He strained with the effort until his arm was fully straight, and his fisted hand was raised up in the air.

Percy looked at Nico with much curiosity, heavily panting as he tried catching his breath from all the effort he put into shooting bullets at Nico. His eyes widened from the sudden realization what the Ghost King was trying to accomplish.

Percy jumped from the ground as high as he could, and what rose from the ground and stood in Percy’s place was an obsidian hand with its fingers curled up like it were holding a ball. It was a blinding sight as it sat in the Sun’s rays, glistening and blinding the eyes of the spectators that stood around the sword arena. Percy and Nico seemed to have involuntarily spread out while fighting until they took up the whole arena, so now everyone that was at the sword arena watched the two ambitious demigods duel.

Percy landed with a  _THUD_ on the palm of the black obsidian hand. He rested the point of his sword on the hand, scratching the surface of it. He cocked up an eyebrow and stared at Nico.

"Wow.” Was Percy’s only comment.

“Don’t get so surprised, I’m only getting started.” Nico mischievously smirked.

Percy jumped off, flipping backward in the air and landing on the ground of the sword arena. “Really? Well, so am I.”

Percy summoned water into his hands from Canoe Lake and swung his arm until his hands faced Nico’s direction. The water in his palms followed his movement, like a whip, extending just far enough so it could hit Nico.

Nico sprung backward, but the water whip extended, attempting to finally land a hit on Nico.

The water whip hit him vertically, a visible trace of water could be seen on Nico’s already dark clothing. Nico winced, not expecting the hit to land on him, or hurt just as much as a real whip lash.

"That all you got, Nico?!” Percy taunted from his place by the obsidian hand, swinging his arm so the water whip hit the ground with a resounding  _CLASH._

“Oh you will  _so_  regret mocking me,  _Jackson_ ,” Nico sneered.

He lifted his arms up in fast, swift motions, making jagged obsidian spikes appear out of the floor of the sword arena in a variety of places.

Percy dodged each one, making sure not to scrape himself on some while dodging, which failed. His arms and legs got cut up from the sharp black spikes, but it wasn’t anything ambrosia and nectar couldn’t fix. Blood dripped down his arms and legs, and the air that blew past while sidestepping stung his open wounds a bit.

Percy cursed in Greek under his breath; Nico was being an absolute pain. He was starting to regret mocking him. And that’s when he remembered he still had the water whips in his hands.

He attempted to break an obsidian spike as one grew a foot in front of him. The whip only chiseled a piece off, but it didn’t break into rubble. He clenched his teeth at the results.

"You won’t be able to break them that easily!” Nico yelled from where he summoned more obsidian spikes.

“I will get you back somehow!” Percy replied.

Percy decided to sprint up to Nico to end his summoning of obsidian, dragging his water whips along the ground, which left water trails. But his foot got caught on one of the obsidian spikes. He fell on his knees and caught himself with his hands. But, he also seemed to have trapped Nico di Angelo underneath him.

The water whip splashed on the ground next to them—no longer keeping its whip-like form—and the summoning of obsidian spikes halted. They both stayed in that position, trying to catch their breath. But, Nico was also  _way_  too caught up in the situation Percy got him in.

He was staring right up at the gorgeous face of the Sea Prince, who was not even covered in a single drop of sweat. He had to fight the urge of making a blush spread on his face and all the way down to his neck. He had to also fight an erection coming on. But, that was  _hard_  (and so was he). In the position Nico and Percy were currently in, it was impossible.

His heart was fluttering in his chest, and he bit his lip to stop himself from getting hard.

 _Shit, shit, shit. When will Percy fucking Jackson get off me?!_ His voice inside his head screeched.  _How long does it take to catch your damn breath, Jackson?!_

Whenever he cursed in every single sentence, that either meant Nico was frustrated, angry, or desperate. In this situation, Nico felt like he was all of the above.

But another side of him told him to stop arguing and go with it. It told him to relax and savor this enjoyable moment of the love of his life being on top of him. It told him to finally thank the Fates for causing Percy to slip and fall on him, and he should be grateful that he is currently in this situation.

Nico shook his head. That was crazy talk. Even if he  _did_  enjoy this situation a bit (okay, maybe a lot) he did  _not_  want to get an erection in front of Percy and all the campers watching them with intense eyes.

Please, just get off soon, Percy. He did  _not_ want to embarrass himself any further.

* * *

 

**Percy Jackson**

Percy was currently enjoying the situation he got himself into. Wait…what?

Percy finished catching his breath, and he glanced at Nico. He was biting his lip, but Percy couldn’t get why. Maybe he was uncomfortable? That was pretty understandable.

Percy felt this warm and reassuring feeling in his chest for some reason. He just wanted to stay in the position, like it’ll wash all his worries away like the ocean washing part of the sand on the beach shore away.

He stared down at Nico, who averted his gaze and found the pebble that sat next to his head more interesting. It almost looked like Nico was…nervous. But, why?

He could also make out the faintest trace of red painting Nico’s beautiful olive-skinned face. Why was that even there? So many questions were forming inside of his head. It was driving his mind crazy! Percy and thinking were two things that didn’t belong together. And, wait a minute, beautiful?

Of course! More questions! But, seriously. Did he just call Nico beautiful?

 Well,  _look_  at him. His perfectly shaded olive-toned skin that totally corresponded with Nico’s deep, dark brown eyes. His black, silky hair draped down his face, making him look all the more mysterious. His eyes were so big and—despite him being a scary son of Hades—absolutely adorable. His clothes hugged his lean frame perfectly well, and he wasn’t painfully skinny like three years ago. And his pink, puffy lips looked so  _enticing_. Percy just wanted to swoop down and kiss them ever so passionately.

Okay, he just described Nico how beautifully he looked, and then he thought of kissing him on his lips. What would people think if they knew what was going through his mind? He must’ve eaten something weird today. Oh wait a second, he  _didn’t_ eat anything today. Maybe he just woke up too early in the morning today? That could be it.

Agh! Percy is pretty much living in denial at the moment! And it’s annoying him a _lot_. Why doesn’t he just admit his feelings towards Nico and get it over with?!

His mind short-circuited. Wait  _another_  minute, feelings for  _Nico_? Didn’t he have Annabeth already? Why did he have feelings for Nico? First of all, where did they come from? When did it start? How did they  _develop_  in the first place?

Of course,  _more_  questions! Percy was getting very tired of all the questions. He’ll work out his feelings-for-Nico situation later. It seemed like it’ll take more than just a few minutes to figure out. Maybe he should talk it out with someone? Definitely not Annabeth, so maybe Jason? He already knows about Nico’s feelings for him, so why not?

Nico silently murmured, breaking the silence between them, “Can you…get off me?”

Percy blinked momentarily as the question processed through his mind. So many questions, it was driving Percy’s brain crazy. His mind was at a million places at once at a million miles an hour.

He finally processed the answer and responded, “What? Uh, yeah, right.” He nervously chuckled. “Of course.”

He reluctantly stood up and brushed himself off, offering Nico his hand soon after. Nico inspected the hand with doubtful eyes as if he expected a tazor button to be taped onto his head. Why was Nico so reluctant and hesitant with everything? Especially if it involved him?

Nico reluctantly (of course) took the hand, and Percy hauled him up from the ground. He dusted himself off, and breathed a sigh of relief, for some strange reason.

“Thanks,” Nico mumbled silently.

“What was that?” Percy cupped his hand to his ears, even though he heard Nico clearly. Nico thanking someone was pretty rare, and he wanted to hear it again. Of course, Percy was also just teasing him.

“Thanks,” Nico said louder, his volume increasing.

“Sorry?” Percy inched forward. “Couldn’t hear you.”

“Percy!” Nico hit Percy on his upper arm. “Now I know you heard me.” He grumbled.

“Did I?” Percy raised an eyebrow, continuing his innocence with a smirk plastered on his face

“Yes, yes you definitely did,” Nico informed with a nod. “I guess that’s where this battle ends. It was good though.”

Percy’s smirk turned into a friendly, warm-hearted smile. “It was. Guess this battle was a duel, huh? I guess it means we were both equal in power, then.” He swung his arms around Nico’s shoulders, pulling the seventeen year-old closer to him. He willed the sweat that clung to Nico’s body off of him.

“Yeah, guess it does.” Nico shrugged, trying to get Percy’s arm off in the process, but only failing as Percy’s grip tightened on his shoulders. It was a little possessive, but he wanted Nico to open up to him more.

“That—was—epic!” A camper by the border of the sword arena announced with a cheer. “You guys were so—freaking—amazing!” He said, awestruck by their demigod moves and sword combos. “I’d never be able to match up to a child from the Big Three!”

“Me neither.” Another camper that sat next to the previous speaker shook his head. “But, that won’t stop me from trying to beat your guys’ asses! What’s your name, son of Hades, presumably? I’ll challenge you one day! So you better not run away!”

“I didn’t know you were a child of Apollo, Alexander! ‘I’ll challenge you one day, so you better not run away’ rhymed perfectly!” A girl next to him said cheerily. “And I thought you were in the Ares Cabin.”

“Oh, shut your trap, Ellie!” Alexander hit her upside the head.

“Ow!” Ellie whined. “Jeez, Alexander! Can’t take a joke?!” She brought her hand up to the spot she was hit to massage it.

Everyone at the sword arena laughed aloud. It was a perfect, happy moment for the people at Camp Half-Blood who were at the sword arena. One that Percy really enjoyed.

“Hey, Nico, come with me to Canoe Lake?”

Nico stared up at Percy as if he’d grown another head. “ _What_?”

"You heard me loud and clear, Neeks.”

“Don’t  _ever_  call me by that  _wretched_  name,” Nico snapped.

“Okay, Nicky.”

Nico glared at Percy, and it probably could’ve killed Tartarus himself. But Percy was already immune to Nico’s death glares.

“Do you really want me to go as far as calling you Nicki Minaj?” Percy raised an eyebrow with a teasing smirk. “Just answer the question, Neeks.”

“ _Fine_ ,” Nico huffed. Percy grinned from ear to ear and Nico added, “And stop looking at me like an idiot. Or I’ll regret my decision greatly.”

Percy toned down the smile a bit, but he dragged Nico with him over to Canoe Lake, feeling more joyful than ever.

* * *

 

**Annabeth Chase**

Annabeth watched the whole duel between Percy and Nico at the back of the sword arena with her stormy, intense gray eyes. She calculated and analyzed every single move performed by either one of them. She watched the way they looked at each other, and the emotions that rolled off of them like heat rolling off of the Sun.

She knew of Nico’s emotions and opinions about Percy for awhile now, even though he was  _very_  good at masking those feelings from the others. But, the way he glared at her, she knew those eyes were filled with jealousy. And the way he always avoided Percy in every way possible just put all the puzzle pieces together. The fact he always avoided everyone also gave the clue he was containing some kind of secret that he didn’t want anyone to know about, maybe because of embarrassment or harassment. And, being gay was the secret Annabeth came to the conclusion of. It made perfect sense. Especially since he’s from the ‘30s made Nico think even more of how wrong being gay was—even though it wasn’t.

But, Percy’s feelings for Nico was a new development. She didn’t think Percy would ever adapt feelings for the son of Hades, but apparently, he did. Maybe it was because of their lack of contact between each other that made Percy desire to see Nico more, which eventually blossomed into such feelings. It was possible, especially since it was Percy.

Percy’s fatal flaw was his loyalty towards the ones he cared about. So, would Percy ever leave Annabeth? Even if his feelings for Nico became stronger than his feelings for Annabeth, would he still stay with her? She couldn’t determine the answers to those questions, most likely because she wasn’t Percy, and she couldn’t think of a definite answer Percy would actually give. If she would come up with an answer though, she would have to say Percy would still stay with her, despite his stronger feelings for the Ghost King.

Which was something that really worried her. She would never be able to stay with someone that didn’t love her back with all their heart. She’d feel devastated that she wasn’t good enough, and she’d feel horrible since that person stayed with her only because they didn’t want to break Annabeth’s heart and make her feel lonely. And, she really didn’t doubt Percy would do that to her.

Annabeth wondered: Did Percy even know of his existing feelings for Nico at all? Did he even realize his developing feelings? Or would Percy call them non-existent if Annabeth ever asked him? Annabeth could tell Percy tripping over the obsidian spike and onto Nico was a complete accident. But, the way Percy stared at Nico made her heart just shatter. Was Percy really so oblivious, he didn’t even know of his feelings for the Ghost King yet? Annabeth was certain Percy wasn’t that much of a seaweed brain. In fact, Percy could be pretty smart…in some special cases. Annabeth knew Percy was oblivious, but  _that_  oblivious? Annabeth didn’t think so.

Should she break their relationship off the next time she got the chance? Was it really the right thing to do? She was the daughter of Athena—goddess of wisdom for Hades’ sake! She should know what to do in these types of situations, right? Why was she asking so many questions in her head that she couldn’t answer? Things were _never_  as complicated as this. And, having so many questions Annabeth couldn’t answer was driving her insane.

She’ll just talk it out with Percy first, see if he actually knows of his now-existent feelings for Nico. If he does know, she’ll, unfortunately, break it off with him. If not, then she’ll forget about the whole ordeal—and make Percy forget about it too.

Annabeth doesn’t feel very certain about breaking it off with Percy. She just wasn’t…ready for it. Percy and she have been through so much together—ever since they were twelve. Can she really just break up with him after all of that? All of the quests, all the hardships they both endured together, everything they’ve ever done? Can she really do this?

Annabeth shook her head. Maybe she should talk about it with someone of her caliber? Malcolm would do fine…would he? Malcolm was intelligent, sure, but he’d side with the side Annabeth truly desires, which was the side of  _not_  breaking it off with Percy. He’d make up any excuse for Annabeth to believe that she should stick with what they currently have now. And, Malcolm was pretty good at doing just that.

But, that wasn’t what Annabeth wanted. She wanted an answer that would settle this complicated ordeal once and for all. Sure, she wanted to be happy, but if she stayed with Percy and it was the wrong choice, she’d feel even more miserable once they actually break up. So, who should she talk it out with?

What about…Jason? Jason already seems to know of Nico’s secret crush on the son of Poseidon. Well, Annabeth guessed that she did. Ever since they were on the Argo II and Jason said they went to retrieve Diocletian’s scepter from Favonius, but was met with Cupid instead, Nico had changed dramatically. According to Greek legends and stories, Cupid was one of Aphrodite’s children. Which meant Cupid was related to the subject of love. And love was a very touchy subject for the Ghost King. Which also meant Nico most likely had to confront his feelings to Percy in front of both Cupid and Jason to retrieve Diocletian’s scepter. Which also  _also_  meant Jason knew of Nico’s feelings for Percy.

No, she can’t talk to it with Jason first. She had to confirm her suspicions of Percy’s feelings for Nico first. She can’t try to work things out with Jason’s help, only for Percy to _not_  really have feelings for Nico. Even if she was pretty intelligent, her suspicions could be wrong. There was always that possibility.

Percy apparently took Nico down to Canoe Lake, from what she heard from them. After their little “affair”, Annabeth planned to go straight to Percy and talk to him about it. No hesitations. No delays. She just wanted to get this over with. This was getting  _way_  too complicated for her liking. And, this situation was a  _lot_  more complicated than it should have been.

She sighed and tightened her curly blonde ponytail. She supposed she should take it easy and relax before she confronts Percy. It would be wise to prepare herself also. Not as in pack enough clothes, nectar, ambrosia, and supplies-preparing. She had to prepare for what she could expect to hear from Percy so she didn’t get so overwhelmed. She has to expect what she hears and what Percy does once she confronts him about his feelings for the son of Hades.

There were many possibilities of how Percy would react and answer. But, to start, this could go three ways: Percy  _has_  feelings for Nico and he  _knows_  it. Percy  _doesn’t_  have feelings and he  _knows_  it. Or, Percy  _has_  feelings for Nico and he  _doesn’t_ know about it. Percy not having feelings for Nico and not knowing about it doesn’t make any sense, since Percy’s not even in a relationship with him yet. So, that didn’t count as an option.

She snapped out of her thoughts and found that the sword arena was now occupied with its previous campers that were practicing before Percy and Nico dueled against one another. Everyone was going about their leisure camp activities, just like any regular day for…as regular as a demigod could be.

She sighed and took the hair-tier that was around her wrist into her hand, and she ran her hand through her hair before she started to tie it up into a ponytail. She decided she should go see Jason now, to talk about Nico’s feelings for Percy first. She wouldn’t  _say_  whether Nico had feelings for him to Percy though; it was Percy’s job to find that out himself. But, having more information was better in almost  _any_  situation.

Now, where would the blonde Roman be on a day like this? Most likely with Piper, of course. She didn’t want to disturb their alone time with each other, but Annabeth was feeling pretty desperate at the moment. She didn’t have any other time to talk to Jason anyway since she promised herself she would talk to Percy after he was done with  _his_  alone time with Nico.

She pushed herself off the pearly white Greek column that she was leaning on, and she went to go find Jason who she guessed was by the cabins with Piper. And when she arrived by the cabins, she guessed correct.

She trudged up to Jason who had his arm around Piper’s waist, which didn’t make her feel any better. She wasn’t going to have that feeling of someone’s arm around her waist like that after today. She sighed and shook her head. She needed to get over it and get used to it. She was strong, and not some weak little girl who mourned on one thing for weeks and weeks, not being able to go on with her life.

Piper soon spotted her coming up to them. “Hey, Annie! Want to come sit down with us?”

Jason peeled his eyes off his lover to glance at the approaching form of Annabeth. “Hey, Annabeth. What’s up?” He soon saw the look of forlorn clouding the daughter of Athena’s face since his cheerful expression turned worried. “What’s…wrong?”

Piper took on a more puzzled expression as she focused and concentrated on Annabeth more. She tilted her head sideways and patted the spot next to her on her left, offering Annabeth a seat. “Are you okay, Annie?”

Annabeth debated whether or not she should talk to not only Jason but Piper as well. She was the daughter of Aphrodite—goddess of love—maybe she could help her in some way too.

“Hey.” Annabeth sighed. “Sorry for interrupting…Um…I could leave…if you want me to…?” Annabeth didn’t want to be rude and stack all her bad feelings onto them if they didn’t want to help.

“No! No of course not.” Piper shook her head very frantically. “We’re friends, Annie. We worry about each other you know. Just because I wanted to be with Jason, doesn’t mean I would abandon you if you needed a friend—“ She glanced at Jason next to her. “—or friends for that matter whenever you’re feeling lonely or down.”

Jason nodded in agreement. “Piper’s right, Annabeth. So, let’s get straight to the point so we don’t dance around the actual subject at hand. What’s gotten into you?”

Annabeth took the seat next to Piper and sighed heavily. “Well, ever since Nico came to Camp Half-Blood—involuntarily, of course, because of his injuries—I think Percy’s…” She choked back a sob. “Developed some feelings for him.”

Piper’s and Jason’s eyes widened at Annabeth’s summary of her problems. Jason looked  _beyond_  surprise, but Annabeth wasn’t very surprised at that. He did most likely know of Nico’s feelings for Percy, so hearing that Percy might have feelings for Nico as well, that would be  _very_  surprising.

“Percy has feelings for Nico?” Piper asked slowly, trying to take the recent information that was just thrown at her. “I haven’t seen Nico yet, but I know he’s here. So, I’m not able to tell if Percy  _does_  actually have feelings for him. I’ve been working on my Aphrodite powers, so if I see them together, I may be able to confirm your suspicions, Annie.”

Jason just continued to gape at Annabeth’s statement. He seemed absolutely speechless at the moment. It seemed as if his brain short-circuited, and it was slowly taking him time to process the statement. Well, that wasn’t surprising for Annabeth either.

“Then, why don’t we go now?” Annabeth suggested. “Percy’s with Nico right now at Canoe Lake. I’d rather much know now than talk to Percy about it and have a super long conversation with him, only for Percy to not have feelings for Nico.”

“Sure, if you’d like.” Piper nodded. She got up from the steps of the Zeus cabin, tugging at her boyfriend’s arm. “Come on, Jason. We don’t have all day. Percy and Nico might split up any second now. We don’t know  _how_  long they were down there.”

Jason snapped out of his thoughts and his brain from malfunctioning. “Uh…sorry…what? Oh…yeah, right. Let’s go.”

Piper giggled at her lover’s stupid response. She motioned for Annabeth to get up and follow her to Canoe Lake, which she reluctantly did. Even though Annabeth did suggest they go and see for themselves, she didn’t want to know if Percy actually had feelings for Nico. She was scared of breaking up with Percy, but she’d have to know eventually.

They soon made it to Canoe Lake, and fortunately and unfortunately (Annabeth’s feelings were all jumbled up and down right confusing at the moment) Nico and Percy were still there, laughing at each other and just hanging out like normal friends. Seeing the Ghost King laugh was also an interesting sight since he was always so gloomy around others. That just confirmed the son of Hades’ feelings for Percy. Also, Annabeth could see a hint of longing in those laughing dark brown eyes of his, which could only be directed at the only person he actually noticed was there—which was Percy.

Annabeth glanced at Jason and Piper when Jason asked, “Well? Does Percy have feelings for Nico?”

Annabeth saw the expression Piper had glued onto her face—perplexity and astonishment. She already knew the answer that was coming for her to hit her in the face was not a good one.

Piper took awhile trying to form an answer before she replied with a still-surprised look on her face. “Y-yes. He…Percy…he does. I-I’m sorry, Annie.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Annabeth Chase**

“Wh—” Jason’s and Annabeth’s mouths were slammed by Piper’s hand.

"Shh! Do you guys not know what eavesdropping is?! Or spying for that matter?!” Piper hissed in a hushed tone, glancing between the two demigods with their mouths covered.

“Sorry,” Jason and Annabeth apologized, muffled behind Piper’s hand.

Piper released her hand from their mouths. “Good. And, I just…I can’t believe it either. And also, I think Nico noticed us.”

“You  _think_?” Jason emphasized.

“Yeah. See, I’m pretty sure he can tell if there’s an ‘unwanted’ disturbance or distortion in the shadows. And, of course being a demigod, he’ll have his guard up in case some monster decided to be summoned into this area of the camp,” Piper explained.

“He doesn’t look like he noticed us.” Jason peeked over the bushes they were hiding at.

“He’s probably doing it so Percy wouldn’t catch us as well,” Annabeth surmised. “But, we’re in for a long talk with Nico afterward.”

“Why wouldn’t he want Percy to catch us?” Jason cocked his head to the side and furrowed his brows.

Annabeth heavily sighed. “You ask a lot of questions, Grace.”

Jason rolled his eyes. “Well, excuse me for not being as smart as a daughter of Athena,  _Chase_.”

“You know, ‘Chase’ and ‘Grace’ rhyme.”

Everyone jumped back and whipped their heads around to find a grinning Leo Valdez. He seemed to be enjoying the results he got from scaring them.

“Leo?!” Everyone screeched in whispered voices.

“’Sup?” Leo grinned as he sat down with them. “Why are we spying on Percy and Nico?”

“Did they even  _see_ you coming down here?!” Annabeth hissed.

“No.” Leo raised an eyebrow and shrugged. “At least, I don’t think so.”

“ _I don’t think so_ ,” Annabeth mimicked.

“You guys,” Piper tried to calm the situation, “the whole point in eavesdropping and spying is to stay quiet. You all know that, right?”

“So, let’s all agree to shut up now and spy, alright?” Jason agreed.

Everyone nodded and peeked their heads over the bush to commence spying on the Sea Prince and the Ghost King.

* * *

 

**Nico di Angelo**

Nico definitely knew of Annabeth’s, Jason’s, Piper’s, and Leo’s presences.

He decided not to say anything; it would ruin his moment with the son of Poseidon anyway. All he knew was that he was going to have a long conversation with a certain demigod with the name of Jason Grace later today. What did they all even want with him? Can’t he just go on with his life without four horrible stalkers?

He sighed heavily and decided to push that thought into the back of his mind. It would submerge from the back of his mind sooner or later, but he decided to dwell on it later on. He’d get  _all_  his answers from Jason if he tried hard enough. This day could get  _very_  interesting and to Nico’s liking.

He glanced at his secret lover who was currently splashing around in Canoe Lake, which was scaring many of the water nymphs. He didn’t care about them though; they were horrible flirts anyway. Well, from what he’s heard they’re horrible at it. He didn’t take much interest in them anyway. They were kind of just…there in nature. He’s never paid much attention to it. If he were being honest, he never even concentrated on how a water nymph, or a wood nymph, looked.

He was soon snapped out of his thoughts when he felt water droplets on his face and a giggling voice which could only be deciphered as Percy Jackson’s.

Nico slowly looked at Percy who was trying very hard to hide his laugh, and he was failing very miserably.

Nico sighed heavily. “Jackson,” Nico growled, “you are  _so_  getting revenge for that.”

Percy smirked. “And, how will you do that? A son of Poseidon can’t get wet very easily, can they?”

“No,” Nico agreed. “Unless it were Mrs. O’Leary’s saliva.”

Without waiting for a response from the demigod that was currently scaring the water nymphs, Nico raised his fingertips to his lips and whistled.

The ground started to shake a little as Mrs. O’Leary burst through and into the opening where Canoe Lake was from the forest. She bounded forward to them and they each got a share of Mrs. O’Leary’s saliva all over them.

“Hey, Mrs. O’Leary,” Nico greeted, even though the only greeting he knew he would be getting back was a lick to the face.

“Mrs. O’Leary!” Percy laughed as the enormous hellhound jumped into the lake, which scared the shit out of all the water nymphs, which also made Nico laugh so hard he was afraid someone would point out how loud Nico could laugh all the way from the cabins.

“I’m going to get you back for that!” Percy raised his hands and pushed forward, sending a huge tidal wave hurtling towards Nico—who was currently dying of laughter.

Nico realized there was a huge shadow above him, and he was pretty sure he didn’t involuntarily summon the shadows closer to him. He wasn’t angry, frustrated, et cetera, so why should he? He was  _clearly_  joyful at the moment.

But, that all soon died away when Nico decided to look up and spot the huge tidal wave that was right over his head. He knew if he moved, he’d still get hit, so why bother moving? He didn’t want to get wet though, that was for sure. But, no matter what he’d do, he’d still get wet.

Unless he shadow-traveled? The giant tidal wave was casting a  _very_  big shadow over him anyway. He called the shadows over to them as fast as he could, and before he was just about to step into them, he heard a voice.

“Not, so fast, Nico!”

His wrist was pulled into the tidal wave, and so was he. He was currently in a moment where he had no idea what was happening; the only thing he was aware of was the water surrounding him. But, when he finally came to, he was soaking wet and in the middle of Canoe Lake, with Percy holding him very close to his body,  _almost_  making him blush all the way down to his neck (for the second time of the day). Good thing he caught himself from blushing before he couldn’t stop himself. Maybe he  _could_  be lucky…sometimes. He probably jinxed that now. He was  _never_  going to be lucky in the future now.

There was water surrounding the whole perimeter of Canoe Lake, most likely from Percy splashing around, Mrs. O’Leary jumping into the lake, and the huge tidal wave Percy decided to summon to get back at Nico. It was  _so_  unfair Percy was able to do that in his current situation.

He also realized another thing: he couldn’t swim. Which was a  _very_  major thing to know when in the middle of a lake. He never learned how to swim when he was little back in the 1930s, and he never bothered with learning how to swim in  _this_  current time period. He was in major trouble now. He couldn’t leave from Percy’s grasp, even if he shadow-traveled. Percy would just shadow-travel with him if he tried. But, Nico also wanted to get out of this lake, so he wouldn’t have to be having the chance of drowning.

“Thanks,” Nico grumbled, pushing away the wet bangs that were clinging to his face out of his eyes.

Percy laughed. “No problem, Neeks.”

“What did I say about that nickname?” Nico snapped.

“To keep calling you it because you love it so much?” Percy innocently asked.

Nico rolled his eyes. “I really hate you, Percy.”

Percy smirked. “Love you too, Neeks.”

Nico’s heart almost literally stopped. Well, instead of stopping, it just started beating a whole lot faster. He knew Percy was just joking about the comment, but hearing Percy actually  _say_  it, and it directed  _to_  him, was just completely unbelievable.

He hid his blushing face in the crook of Percy’s neck, involuntarily wrapping his arms around his neck. “I—hate—you—Perseus. So-o much.”

“Hey, you know I hate the name ‘Perseus’.”

“And you know I hate the nickname ‘Neeks’.”

“And yet I still call you it anyway.” Nico could almost  _hear_  Percy’s smirk at the last comment.

Nico rolled his eyes. “Then maybe I should consider calling you ‘Perseus’ for the time being until you stop calling me ‘Neeks’.”

“Please don’t.”

“Oh, I will.”

“So much for loving you, Neeks.”

“Of course, Perseus.”

Percy laughed, moving his arms down and around Nico’s waist, making Nico blush more. He also became more aroused, but he  _really_  didn’t want to think about it. Maybe Percy would think it was a rock? Hopefully, he would.

Nico also noticed something he wished he never noticed. Percy was  _shirtless_ , making Nico blush even more since they were so close to each other. Nico was in for a bad situation if he stayed here any longer. Why does this have to happen to him? He  _totally_  doesn’t have luck on his side anymore.

“Can we get to shore now, please?” Nico pleaded.

“And, why is that? Don’t like where you are, Neeks?”

“Firstly, no, I don’t like where I am. And secondly…” Nico trailed off. What in the world would happen if Nico told a son of Poseidon he couldn’t swim?

“And secondly…?” Percy pressed further.

“Well, I, uh, don’t want to tell you,” Nico awkwardly replied.

“Come on, Neeks. Why not?” Percy asked.

“Because you’re a son of Poseidon,” Nico answered like it explained everything.

“And, what does that have to do with anything?”

“Because…I…” Nico trailed off again, hesitating on saying the reason.

“I’m going to keep bugging you if you don’t tell me. I’ll find some way to get the answer out of you, you know.” Nico could obviously tell Percy was smirking once again from his tone of voice.

“Please don’t.”

Percy chuckled. “Oh, I will.”

“I feel like we’ve had this conversation a few minutes ago.”

“We have.” Nico could pretty much tell Percy was still smirking as he was forming up some mischievous and devious plan to get him to give Percy the answer.

Nico rolled his eyes. “So, can you get me back to shore?”

“Not until you tell me the answer,” Percy finalized.

“Dude, Perseus, seriously.”

“You better stop calling me that, Neeks.”

“Then you better stop calling me ‘Neeks’.”

“No, thanks,” Percy denied.

“Then, you’ll better get used to me calling you ‘Perseus’.”

“I feel so much love coming from you,” Percy sarcastically remarked.

“Of course, Perseus.”

Percy laughed. “Why don’t you just shadow-travel back to shore?”

Nico sighed. “Well, because I would  _still_  be in this position. And, I would collapse from exhaustion. You probably want me to do that, don’t you?”

Percy shook his head. “I’m not  _that_  mean, Neeks. Fine, I’ll get you back to shore. But, I will  _still_  find some way to get you to answer my question.”

“And, what was this question again?” Nico innocently asked.

"I’m pretty sure you already know the question.”

“Do I?” Nico continued his innocence.

“Yes, I’m positive. Now, come on and swim to shore with me.” Percy loosened his grip.

“Damn it now I  _have_  to tell you,” Nico huffed, tightening his grip around Percy’s neck so he wouldn’t fall and drown. He wasn’t really afraid of drowning and dying (most likely because his father worked with the dead anyway) but he didn’t want to drown in front of a son of Poseidon  _or_  his secret lover. And, Percy filled both of those positions.

“Tell me the answer?” Percy asked with hope. “Really?”

“Yes,  _really_ ,” Nico confirmed.

“Alright, then. What is it?” Percy asked, eager to know the answer.

Nico sighed heavily into the crook of Percy’s neck, his face still hidden there because he was  _still_  trying to hide his blush. “I can’t swim.”

"What?” Percy asked.

“You heard me.”

“No, actually, I didn’t.”

Nico rolled his eyes, which is something he now does a lot. “You better not be kidding, Jackson. I don’t want to repeat my answer.”

"I swear, I didn’t hear you,” Percy promised.

“I can’t swim.” Nico raised his voice.

There was a horrible long pause, which made Nico suffer from all the suspense. What did Percy think of him now? He knew he wouldn’t hate Nico for not knowing how to swim, that was obvious. He was  _pretty_  sure Percy would make fun of him in some way or  _something_. He was a son of Poseidon; of  _course_  he’s got something to say to someone that just told him they couldn’t swim.

Percy laughed, which was the response Nico was  _not_  expecting. “Are you serious, Nico?”

"I’m plain as day serious,” Nico answered. “And, did you just call me Nico?”

“Not the point. You seriously can’t swim?”

“No, I can’t. Can we stop talking about it now?”

Percy chuckled. “Sure, though it must have been very awkward for you to say you can’t swim in front of a son of Poseidon.”

“And that was the reason why I didn’t tell you,” Nico shot back.

“Sorry, sorry. Alright, let’s go.”

Percy swam himself and Nico back to the shore, where Mrs. O’Leary was happily basking in the sunlight while napping. Her tongue was stuck out of her mouth, and she was snoring ever so peacefully. Her snores were, thankfully, not loud.

Nico managed to finally stop himself from blushing so much, which was when Percy set Nico on the ground by the lake. Percy sat down next to Nico and stared up at the gorgeous afternoon blue sky. The sky was absolutely clear of clouds, only the Sun was in sight. It was a blinding, yet stunning, sight to look at. A warm breeze blew across the camp, slightly rustling the trees surrounding them, their clothes, and Mrs. O’Leary’s fur.

“It’s so beautiful today, isn’t it?” Percy broke the silence, using his demigod powers to make Nico dry again. It wasn’t an awkward silence, it was more comforting.

"Yeah,” Nico agreed, staring up at the sky and enjoying the beautiful view with Percy.

A few moments later, when the Sun started to set and the sky turned a brilliancy of various colors—blue, orange, white, purple, and pink—Percy brought up, “We should be heading back now. You coming to the sing-a-long with me?”

Nico shook his head in denial. “No, I’m not into that type of stuff, sorry, Perce. I think I’ll just walk around the camp or stay in my cabin.” He took the hand Percy offered to him, and the Sea Prince pulled him up.

“You’re going to regret denying me.” Percy mischievously smirked.

“Really?” Nico raised an eyebrow in a challenging manner. “How so?”

Percy chuckled. “Do you really want to know?”

“I do.”

“Then,  _I_  shall have the honor in showing you.”

“Fine.”

Percy slowly approached Nico and stared at him for what seemed to be the longest moment of Nico’s life.  Nico shifted uncomfortably under Percy’s gaze, wondering what he was going to do. Why was Percy staring at him so long like that? It was creeping Nico out.

Percy leaned down until their lips were mere millimeters apart. He rested his hand on Nico’s cheek and caressed it. At this point in time, Nico could only guess Percy was teasing him; it was such a Percy thing to do anyway. Does that mean Percy knew of his feelings towards him? Nico mentally shook his head. That was impossible. Or…was it?

Nico’s eyes locked with Percy’s, the deep, dark brown eyes mixed with sea green eyes that changed color depending on the lighting they were under. The sea was always changing anyway. The sea never liked to be restricted to only one thing, so it was constantly changing. The color of Percy’s eyes seemed to do the same—reflecting various moods with various colors, but they all had one similarity. They all matched the colors of the sea. Whenever the Sun radiated its light rays onto the sea, the sea changed color depending on the day. Whereas, Percy’s eyes changed color depending on the Sun, and his mood. It was such a gorgeous feature to Percy, one of Nico’s most favorite things.

Nico seemed to be lost in such a trance from Percy’s stunning eyes, he didn’t even notice when Percy leaned in closer, their lips brushing against each other now. Nico’s heart was beating so fast, he was afraid he would die from it. Why did he deserve such a punishment from the three Fates currently watching him?

The most unexpected thing happened to Nico. Percy gently placed his hand on Nico’s lower back. Nico stared up at Percy (not like he was already) and put on a quizzical expression, trying to hide how anxious and eager he really felt. He arched an eyebrow, but Percy only smirked in response.

Percy spun Nico around in a swift motion and shoved Nico into Canoe Lake, resulting from Nico screaming, “You jerk, Perseus!”

Percy laughed full-heartedly at Nico, only just remembering the fact Nico didn’t have the ability to swim. He jumped into the lake, joining Nico, and wrapping his arms around the Ghost King’s waist to keep him steady in the water.

"I hate you  _so fucking_  much, Perseus.”

Percy could only laugh at how soaking wet Nico was. “Love you too, Neeks.”

* * *

 

**Annabeth Chase**

Everyone was gaping at the recent affair between Percy and Nico at Canoe Lake. They were so close when they were in the lake, their arms wrapped around each other like they’ve been doing it for years now. Their conversations seemed so casual like they’ve been hanging out with each other every day; Annabeth wondered what both of them were thinking in their heads. Did Nico even know they were eavesdropping on them? Did Percy even think of how good Nico looked in the sunlight or something?

"This is turning into  _quite_  the Rated M movie,” Leo remarked, still in a hushed voice, breaking  _their_  silence.

Piper rolled her eyes. “Disgusting, Leo.”

“I’m just saying!”

“Anyway,” Jason slowly stated, “that was…”

“Interesting?” Annabeth finished with a question.

“ _Very_ ,” Piper emphasized.

“Guys, I think we should leave,” Jason informed.

Everyone peeked over the bush to see Percy helping Nico up from the ground by the Canoe Lake. They both had a short conversation with each other, one Annabeth couldn’t hear. The only thing that caught her—and everyone—by surprise was when Percy rested his hand on Nico’s cheek and slowly leaned in, their lips barely touching each other’s.

Annabeth’s heart almost stopped at the sight. Everyone turned wide-eyed (some even had their mouths hanging open) at what Percy was about to accomplish. Even Leo couldn’t seem to make a joke about it—much to Annabeth’s surprise. Leo seemed to have a joke about  _everything_ , no matter the situation they were in. If he couldn’t come up with a joke, then their situation was a very bad, weird, or awkward one.

They were in that position for what Annabeth thought felt like millennia. Annabeth could not stay there any longer and see what would happen. She just couldn’t. Just having the thought of Percy with someone else—someone she’s actually known for a long time of her life—she couldn’t. She knew she was being very pathetic about the whole situation, but that was how sensitive Annabeth could really be. Tartarus did a  _lot_  to her. And, she hated it. She hated it so much, yet she could do little to change it.

Then, the most relieving thing happened. Percy ended up pushing Nico into the lake, while she heard a faint, “You jerk, Perseus!” come from the lake.

She heard Percy’s laugh—one of the most beautiful sounds she will never get over—before he jumped into the lake and holding Nico around the waist. Percy was so intimate with Nico, she was getting  _really_  depressed (and she wouldn’t admit it, but jealous) about it. She knew she would have to break it up with Percy, but she hoped she would be able to still be friends with the son of Poseidon. She didn’t want to break it off  _completely_  with him.

 "They’re probably going to leave soon,” Annabeth informed. “We should get going.”

It took awhile for the command to process through the others’ minds, but after it did, they were all snapped out of their dumbfounded states. They turned to Annabeth and nodded in agreement, before turning and sneaking away from the way they came. Annabeth didn’t dare look back at the lake.

Annabeth was sitting on the stairs of the Zeus Cabin with Piper, Jason, and Leo. They were making small talk with each other, trying to avoid a conversation talking about what they had just seen down by Canoe Lake. Leo was, occasionally, trying to form jokes to lighten up the mood, which Annabeth appreciated greatly. These were one of the main reasons why Annabeth never turned Leo down as a friend. He was also very helpful in building—and burning—things.

“So, what do you guys what to do now?” Piper asked slowly, the events that happened at Canoe Lake most likely running through her mind.

“Do you see those Aphrodite girls over there trying to fight so they can impress the guys from the Ares Cabin over there?” Leo pointed in the direction of the Aphrodite Cabin, not answering Piper’s question.

“Leo, seriously?” Jason asked raising an eyebrow, but a smile was on his face.

“Yes, really, look!” Leo gestured towards them more noticeably. “I’m not kidding! They’re actually doing really well, though.” Leo cringed at something he saw by Cabin Eleven. “Okay, never mind. Forget what I said. They’re doing  _horrible_  now. Wow, okay, jeez. This is actually really entertaining though, I’m surprised everyone around hasn’t formed a circle around them to watch the entertainment like a boxing arena.”

“Leo, you are  _so_  weird,” Piper pointed out while chuckling.

“Am I?” Leo raised an eyebrow with a grin. “I try, Pipes, I try. And, those girls are  _really_  trying over there. Wow, they’re trying  _way_  too hard actually. You know what? I realized I fix you, Pipes, since I  _fix_  and  _build_  things.”

“What are you even blabbering about now?” Annabeth glanced at Leo with an odd look on her face.

“Well, see, because I fix and build inventions and such, such as buildings, bridges, et cetera. And pipes fall into that category. Get it, Pipes?”

“Leo, you are the weirdest thing I have ever laid eyes on.” Annabeth rolled her eyes.

“Thanks, like I said, Anna, I try.” Leo smirked. “Does that mean you have an older sister named Elsa? Do you like building snowmen? Oh, how much I love the snow.”

“I am just about ready to punch you across the face, Leo,” Annabeth informed.

“I’ll try to take that as a compliment.” Leo’s smirk never died down, but instead, growing bigger.

Then, all of them found something that caught all of their attention. Coming from the direction of Canoe Lake, they saw Percy and Nico walking up to them. Annabeth gulped. How was she supposed to act after eavesdropping on the two of them? She supposed she should act normal and pretend she  _wasn’t_  eavesdropping on them. She glanced at everyone, and they seemed to be thinking the same thing.

“Hey, Percy! Hey, Nico!” Piper greeted with a wave, flashing a smile upon her face. “I haven’t seen you at all while you were here, Nico! How long have you been here anyway? I hope I didn’t miss too much of you.”

“Hey, Piper!” Percy returned the greeting, running up to the four demigods perched upon the stairs of Cabin One. Nico eyed them warily, most likely thinking about when they were all spying on him, but soon shrugged and took a seat next to Jason. He whispered something into Jason’s left ear, which made Jason sigh and nod reluctantly. She guessed Nico was talking about how they were spying on him, and he was going to get his answers out from Jason sometime soon.

“What have you guys been up to?” Percy inquired, making the rest of them try to come up with a fake answer to hide what they were actually doing before. He sat down next to Annabeth, wrapping his arms around her. He still seemed to make intimate contact with her, so at least Percy didn’t forget about their relationship yet. She wouldn’t have been very surprised if he  _did_  forget because of the events that just happened down by Canoe Lake.

“Watching those girls try to impress some guys from the Ares Cabin.” Leo gestured over to the Aphrodite Cabin. “Some people are just try-hards, you know?”

“We’ve just been sitting here and hanging out, I guess.” Piper shrugged nonchalantly, leaning on Jason’s legs behind her.

She was so glad her friends came up with very realistic excuses. Even Leo managed to come up with a stupid, but realistic, excuse to Percy’s question. Stupid  _totally_  fit Leo’s style, anyway.

“That’s cool,” Percy commented, now watching the Aphrodite girls fight where Leo pointed. Annabeth raised an eyebrow and glanced over, only having to cringe back at what she saw: one of the Aphrodite girls punching another in the gut. That must’ve hurt a ton.

Even Percy and Leo cringed at what they saw as well. “Like I said: try-hards.” Leo sighed. Annabeth could only roll her eyes.

She stared at Percy sitting next to her. He looked so good-looking Annabeth couldn’t take it anymore. She sighed. She’d have to get it over with sometime today, and that time should be now. She took a deep breath before turning to Percy. “Hey, Percy, can I talk to you?”            All her friends around her at the steps of the Zeus Cabin stared at her. Some with quizzical looks, others with shocked looks. She knew they knew what she was thinking. She wasn’t going to tolerate anyone stopping her from doing this. She needed to get it over with—it was now or never.

Percy stared back at her, worry filled his eyes, but his expression looked puzzled. She figured Percy was trying to not worry Annabeth by showing her his true feelings. “Uh, sure, I guess.”

Percy stood up, offering Annabeth a hand. She obliged and took the hand, saying a quick thank you to Percy. She took a glance at Nico and saw he looked a mix of worried, hopeful, and confused. She could understand that, though.

She led Percy back over to Canoe Lake, finding it was the only place that was empty and she could talk to Percy alone. She really didn’t want to do this, but she had to, and it was confusing her mind way too much.

They stopped in front of the lake, the water from Nico and Percy splashing around had yet to evaporate. The Sun was now below the horizon, the night sky was now present, looking more elegant than ever. The stars twinkled and shimmered in the sky, relaxing the daughter of Athena just a tad bit. She wondered what the results would be after this conversation. Would Percy and she still be friends? How would Percy handle the situation? Would he mad or relieved they broke up?

Well, Annabeth wouldn’t know unless she did this now. Percy was waiting ever so patiently, making Annabeth feel happy Percy didn’t rush her.

Annabeth took a few deep breaths, before staring Percy straight into his beautiful sea green eyes and firmly stating, “I’m breaking up with you, Percy.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Percy Jackson**

What was happening with his life?

He was currently in front of Canoe Lake, completely dumbfounded, at the sentence his girlfriend—or used to be girlfriend now—just said to him. Despite having so much fun and finally getting Nico to open up to him earlier that day, he kind of wished this day never arrived. Well, if it didn’t, Nico would still be the cold-hearted bastard Percy never wanted him to be. But, he would still be together with Annabeth. Agh! What did Percy want in his life?!

 _Make up your mind!_ Percy’s mind screamed at him.

 _I’m trying!_ Percy yelled back.

 _You’re not trying hard enough!_ His mind retorted.  _More willpower! Do I have to play “#thatPower” by Will.I.Am for you now?!_

 _Please don’t! Anything but that!_ Percy pleaded.

_Then put more willpower into it! Try harder!_

Percy’s mind blanked out.  _Wait, what are we even arguing about?_

His mind didn’t respond. It was probably tired of how stupid Percy could be. Percy could understand that, unfortunately. Either that or his mind didn’t know what they were arguing about either, but it didn’t want to admit it. Wait, why was Percy even having a conversation with his mind anyway?

“Percy?”

Percy snapped out of his thoughts and got sucked back into reality, which was also unfortunate. He stared at Annabeth, still completely dumbfounded.

“I’m sorry, but, what?” Percy asked, unsure if he even heard right, or if his ears were just playing with him.

Annabeth sighed, sadness filling her eyes. She wrapped her arms around herself, grasping the sides of her shirt like she needed to throw up. She looked more sad than sick, though.

“I—” Annabeth’s voice cracked. Percy immediately regretted asking Annabeth to repeat herself. A tear rolled down her cheek. “I’m breaking up…with you,” She choked back a sob, “Percy.” She bit down on her lip, restraining herself from letting any more tears stream down.

"A—Annabeth,” Percy hesitantly wiped the tear away with his thumb, unsure if Annabeth would smack his hand away or not. She didn’t, which Percy was glad of. He didn’t know if Annabeth didn’t smack his hand away just because she didn’t want to hurt his feelings or not. Well, she kind of already did.

“I—I’m s—sorry, Percy,” She managed to stutter, more tears streaming down. Percy couldn’t wipe all of them away, and he was too dumbfounded to use his powers to will them away. Plus, they would just come back.

“But…why?” Percy stepped closer, resting a hand on her cheek. He wiped away all the tears that streamed down the left side of her face with the hand that currently caressed it.

Annabeth chewed on her lip. “It’s…it’s c—compli—complicated.” Annabeth was practically crying now.

“Why?” Percy demanded. His sadness and his sympathy were soon morphing into anger.

“I don’t—I don’t want to talk,” She sniffled, “about it.”

"Do you really expect me to figure it out  _myself_? I’m not smart, Annabeth, I’ll tell you that now. We were doing fine. Why would you just…?” Percy didn’t even want to consider the other possibility he was thinking of.

“Why would I,” She choked back another sob, “leave you, y—you mean?”

“That’s  _exactly_  what I mean, Annabeth.”

“Be—because I know.”

“Know  _what_  exactly, Annabeth?!” Percy was practically yelling now.

“Y—you…”

“What did I do? Can I fix it? Can I just,  _magically_  reverse it so we can be together like we were just yesterday? Or the day before? Or in fact, three years ago?” Percy was pretty much spouting out nonsense now. But, he wasn’t really thinking anymore. He was just so  _angry_  he couldn’t even think coherent thoughts. How could Annabeth just break it off like nothing ever happened between them? Like they haven’t been through so many life-or-death situations? Like they haven’t experienced  _Tartarus_  together and almost dying in there because of those stupid curses?

“N—no, Percy. I’m sorry. I rea—really am. But, I can’t…I can’t do this anymore.” Annabeth frantically shook her head side to side.

“Why not?!” Percy attempted to just pry the answer out of her.

“Because you love him!” Annabeth shouted. “Happy?!”

The shout echoed all throughout the air, causing heavy tension to hang in the still, night air. Percy didn’t doubt if the campers at the sing-a-long heard them from here.

" _Who_?!” Percy asked in a raised voice, completely bewildered.

“You know who!” Annabeth had nonstop tears flowing down her face. “I don’t...I know you know who it—who it is! Don’t act stupid, Percy!”

“It’s not an act!” Percy yelled back, now enraged by Annabeth’s behavior. “I don’t know who you’re talking about! Just tell me, Annabeth! Maybe you’re wrong!”

“A child of  _love_  can  _never_  be wrong about love!” Annabeth retorted. “You can’t fix feelings like a machine!”

Gee, no wonder Leo loved machines more than people.

“Just tell me!” Percy commanded.

“Figure it out your—yourself!” Annabeth screamed. Her hands clenched at her sides as her shoulders became tenser.

“You know I can’t!” retorted Percy.

“They’re  _your_  feelings, aren’t they?! How oblivious can you even be?!”

“Annabeth, just tell me!”

“If you want to know so badly, th—then figure it out yourself!” Floods of tears now covered most of Annabeth’s face with every scream and retort she made.

“Maybe you don’t want to tell me because you’re lying!”

“Why would I be lying?! That’s just—just stupid! I would never—”

Percy cut Annabeth off. “Maybe you’re just jealous because I’m hanging out with Nico more instead of you!”

Annabeth groaned very dramatically and loudly. “You  _just_  said it! How  _stupid_  can you be?!”

“What are you even  _talking_  about?!”

“Fine! I—if you want to know so badly, then it’s…” Annabeth’s voice faltered. Her next word was just a mere whisper, Percy could barely hear her. It took him a few seconds to even understand what Annabeth said.

“Wh—how did…?” Percy gaped at Annabeth.

“So, you do know? And, you ad—admit it, huh?” Annabeth suddenly found the floor by Canoe Lake more interesting.

“I didn’t even…how did you know so fast?” Percy dropped his shoulders that he didn’t realize were tense.

“I had my suspicions at first—not when you guys met. And, I asked Piper to see if she could tell with her Aphrodite powers,” Annabeth explained, barely even above a whisper. “And it was…true.”

“Annabeth—“

“I’m sorry, but, can you leave me a—alone?” Annabeth sniffled. “I would be happy if we—we could be friends still…”

“Of course, Annabeth. I—I’m sorry for yelling at you. It was…” Percy sighed, “kind of stupid of me.” Percy rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

“No…no it’s fine.” She shook her head, shaking her curly blonde hair. “I’m glad we could still…” Annabeth took a deep breath. “…Still be friends,” Annabeth said, exhaling at the same time.

“I’m sorry, Annabeth,” Percy apologized once more, wiping the tears from her face. He was so out of it, he couldn’t use his demigod powers now.

“It’s alright, really, Percy. I just…need some time to recover. I won’t hate on either you or Nico, don’t…don’t worry. Just…good luck, I guess?” Annabeth chuckled and kept her genuine smile. “Still, good lucky, Perseus.”

Annabeth arched an eyebrow in a curious manner when Percy groaned in response. “Please don’t call me that.”

Annabeth slightly laughed. “Right, whatever, Percy. Sorry, but, I don’t think I’ll be at the campfire tonight, but I’ll try to become better by tomorrow. You better confess soon, or he’ll leave without even knowing.”

Percy sighed heavily, averting his eyes to the ground. “I really want to…but…I only  _just_  found out I liked him. And, what if he doesn’t even like me?”

Annabeth rolled her eyes. She chuckled to herself, much to Percy’s confusion. “You’ll find out.”

Now it was Percy’s turn to roll his eyes. “Yeah, when I confess to him, I’ll find out!” Percy waved his arms in the air for emphasis.

“Whatever, Percy.”

“What are you even talking about now?” Percy whined, now looking back at the blonde daughter of Athena.

“Nothing, nothing.” She chuckled once more. “I’ll see you, Perce.

“Yeah, see you,” Percy replied as he stared at Annabeth’s retreating form. How will he ever confess to him? Ever confess to Nico?

* * *

 

**Nico di Angelo**

Nico decided it was the time. What time, you may ask? To finally confess to Percy after all these years? Psh, no, of course not. He’ll never do that. He’ll do it over his dead body. It’s time to get some answers out of a certain Jason Grace.

Nico had been hanging out with Piper, Leo, and Jason—the trio that went on the quest to say Hera from the Wolf House. Neither Percy nor Annabeth had returned since they went to “talk”, though Nico had the strangest feeling it was more than just a talk. They probably communicated in a bed instead of with coherent words. Most likely.

He was getting pretty bored at the moment. The one thing that was entertaining him—the two fighting Aphrodite girls—soon stopped after Chiron came in and broke it up. Leo even complained when it happened. Now the only thing keeping him entertained was how stupid Leo and Leo’s jokes were.

He figured now was the time to get some answers out of the blonde Roman demigod before he collapsed on the mattress of his temporary bed in the Hades Cabin. He moved out of the Big House since he didn’t want to slip into that bloody red bed anymore. Chiron wouldn’t mind. Would he? He didn’t inform Chiron he was moving out, but Chiron should take the hint by now, right? Well, whatever. Chiron will find out anyway. He  _was_  there when Nico agreed to stay at Camp Half-Blood after Percy asked him to.

He glanced at Jason who was currently engaged in a conversation with Piper, while Leo would join into their conversation at different times to say something brief. He didn’t want to be rude and interrupt their conversation (even though he was pretty rude at 99% of the people he came into contact to) to get some answers out of Jason. But, he was dead tired. After his duel with Percy, and then hanging out with him down by Canoe Lake, he was  _exhausted_. All he wanted to do was sleep as of now. And, his sleep was overpowering his desire to not be rude.

“Hey, Jason,” Nico voiced, getting the attention of all three demigods, which made him  _really_  self-conscience. He was never used to getting attention, and even though it was just  _three_  people staring at him, he still felt uncomfortable.

"Yeah?” Jason replied with a question.

“Can I ask you a few things?” Nico asked.

“Sure?” Jason cocked his head to his right.

Nico paused. Actually, all  _three_  of the demigods by him were eavesdropping on Percy and him. So, he could get answers from  _all_  of them. He was pretty sure if he tried hard enough, he would be able to scare them into telling him. After all, he was the child of a pretty scary Greek God—Hades. But, Piper’s charmspeak might be able to make him  _not_  scare them. Well, let’s hope Piper doesn’t think about using her charmspeak on him.

“Actually, can I ask all  _three_  of you some questions?”

Piper looked a little confused and curious, while Leo raised an eyebrow at the Ghost King. He guessed they were waiting for him to start asking the questions.

He decided to ask the basic question. “Why were you spying on Percy and me?”

 All of them stared back at him with surprised expressions.

"So he  _did_  know.” Leo tilted his head to the side with a smirk on his face. “You never cease to amaze me, Neeks.”

Nico groaned. “Again with the stupid nickname. Just answer the question already,” Nico grumbled.

“Hm, looks like you guessed right, Piper,” Jason said, glancing at Piper.

Piper shrugged. “What did I tell you? The Big Three have some pretty amazing powers, you know.” Piper leaned towards Jason and pecked a kiss on his left cheek.”

Jason smiled. “Thanks, Piper. And, even if you’re a child of Aphrodite, you’re probably the bravest one I’ll ever lay my eyes on.”

Piper smiled back, with a hint of red tainting her skin. “Aw, thanks, Jason. And, you better not lay your eyes on anyone else.”

Jason chuckled. “Of course not.”

Leo rolled his eyes. “Get a room already. Oh, wait a second! You guys already did.”

Jason heavily sighed and Piper laughed, both having blushes on their faces. Well, Piper’s blush was not a deeper shade of red.

“Leo!” Piper playfully shoved Leo in the chest.

“What? I’m just saying the facts for little Neeks over here.” Leo chuckled.

“I don’t think I  _want_  to know what they do in their ‘free time’,” Nico grumbled. “And for the record, you guys totally dodged the question I asked.”

They all blinked momentarily at him, before Leo asked, “Sorry, what was the question again?”

Nico slapped a hand to his forehead and heavily sighed. “The question was: Why were you spying on Percy and me?”

Piper, Jason, and Leo looked as if they were trying to come up with a plan or excuse to get out of their current situation. Leo also tried to look around to see if he could find someone to get himself out of the situation he caught himself in. Jason and Piper were both looking at each other expectantly as if to see if their lover had a plan or excuse. Nico was  _not_  going to let them “excuse” themselves.

“I’m waiting,” Nico impatiently informed.

Piper sighed, seeing she could not get out of this situation, before she replied, “Annabeth wanted to see something.”

Nico cocked up an eyebrow. “And? What is this ‘something’?”

Jason gulped. Leo glanced in the opposite direction of Nico and Piper so he wouldn’t be interrogated by the son of Hades. He pretended to be distracted by something far off by some other cabins. Jason glanced between Piper and Nico, waiting to see what the daughter of Aphrodite would reply.

Piper’s lips tilted down. “I don’t know if Annabeth would want to talk about it. It’s kind of…secret…I guess?” Piper shook her head from side to side. “Look, I’m sorry, Nico. But, I don’t know if Annabeth would want me to tell you or not. I’ll ask her when she gets back…?”

Nico huffed, “Fine. I better find out by the end of the day.”

Piper gave a bright smile. “Of course.”

Jason and Leo both sighed in relief, seeing they weren’t interrogated by Nico, and they didn’t have to answer any questions. Nico only rolled in his at their reaction.

What was so important to Annabeth that she wouldn’t want to talk about it? Well, whatever. Nico didn’t know Annabeth all that much. He avoided her most of the time, because of his stupid secret crush on Percy. Annabeth could also be very mysterious at times. She hid many things from others, and she always had this look of calculation across her face, like she was analyzing everyone’s every move. It kind of freaked Nico out, but hey, who is he to talk? He freaked people out  _all_  the time, especially since he was the son of Hades—the big Greek God who was the ruler of the Underworld and scared the shit out of everyone.

Nico yawned. He couldn’t get the answer of them, (specifically Piper) so he might as well just go to his bed in the Hades Cabin like he planned. He didn’t really want to sit here and wait for Annabeth and Percy to come back; he might as well just get the answer tomorrow.

He stood up from where he was sitting on the steps of the Zeus cabin, and Jason glanced at him. “Where are you going?” Jason asked, looking at Nico’s retreating form.

“Going to sleep, that’s where,” Nico flatly replied before heading back to his cabin.

* * *

 

**Annabeth Chase**

Annabeth quietly closed the door of the Athena Cabin. She was glad her half-siblings were out and about around Camp Half-Blood, most likely doing their camp activities for the day. Annabeth didn’t want to talk about what happened to them; she would just break down and cry all over again like how she did in front of Percy…without the screaming.

She slowly made her way over to her bed and sat on it, resting her back on the headboard of her bed. She decided now was the time to relax and not be so mean by sending glares over to Nico and cursing him in her mind. She would never be able to get over her feelings for Percy, but the least she could do was not complain about it.

She considered on going back to Piper, Jason, and Leo, but Nico was also there, and Annabeth didn’t think she could handle seeing him in her current state. She wasn’t mad, (okay, maybe a little) but she would support Percy in every way possible. After all, they were friends still, right?

Even though Percy and she has been through so much together throughout the years ever since they were twelve, Annabeth eventually developed some feelings for the son of Poseidon. Sure, she was a little mad because all they’ve been through as a couple was just broken up, but she couldn’t blame Percy. She couldn’t really blame anyone. Percy just developed feelings for Nico, and you can’t control feelings. So, Annabeth decided to be rational and not be a mad, angry freak at Percy just for liking the Ghost King.

Annabeth closed her eyes and sighed, untying her curly blonde hair and letting it fall around her shoulders. She’d have to get used to seeing Nico now, and she’d especially have to get used to Percy and Nico being a couple. She couldn’t let her feelings for Percy explode every single time they did a little romantic thing with each other such as holding hands. If Nico concealed his feelings for Percy for about six or seven years without almost no one knowing than Annabeth could do it too. Except, people  _did_  know her feelings for Percy.

She sighed. She hoped people wouldn’t take pity on her. She didn’t need it. When she gets over it and people start asking her if she’s okay and all of that, she’s going to break down and cry all over again, like if her half-siblings asked her what was wrong. She hoped Percy would tell them to not take pity on her; Percy knew her well enough to know she didn’t want pity from others.

Annabeth wondered: Did Percy ever tell the others they broke up yet? What would their reactions be to it? Most importantly, how would Nico react to it? Would the others be angry at Percy and/or Nico for the break-up with Annabeth? She hoped the answer was no. It wasn’t really anyone’s fault for the break-up. No one can control their feelings. And, even if someone could, it was a hard task.

Annabeth fluttered her eyes open and stared straight ahead of her at nothing in particular. When will Nico be leaving? And, how will Percy confess to him? Percy was never good with words, so confessing to Nico may actually be impossible. Annabeth was  _not_  going to let Nico leave without Percy confessing to him. Annabeth wasn’t going to be the unsupportive friend just because of her feelings. She’ll help her friends in any way, no matter what. She’d tie Nico down and shove Percy into the same room as him and lock them for as long as it takes Percy to confess. She was  _that_  serious.

 She really wanted to see Percy and help him with his problem on how to confess to Nico. But, she wasn’t sure if she was ready to see Percy just yet. Well, it’d still be the same, right? The only difference there will be is that Percy and she wouldn’t be so loving and intimate anymore. They’d be more friendly instead. Annabeth could handle that, right?

She nodded to herself and tied up her hair again into a ponytail. She decided she would go and see Percy now to help. The sooner the better, right? Plus, she would get used to Nico and Percy being together if they were  _actually_  together. It was pretty much killing two birds with one stone.

She jumped off her bed and opened the door to a new beginning.

* * *

 

**Percy Jackson**

Why exactly was he here still? Oh right, because he was too chicken to confront his friends.

Percy has been at Canoe Lake ever since Annabeth left to her cabin to get her mind cleared up.  They were only friends now, which kind of hurt Percy, but hey, he could finally tell Nico…? Maybe? Possibly? Most likely. Annabeth would probably force him into confessing.

He was also too chicken to confront his friends about the whole ordeal. He didn’t want to tell them his secret crush on Nico. It just seemed too embarrassing to him. Plus, he had the strangest feeling they would go straight to Nico and tell him about Percy’s secret crush on him. Leo would especially do that. Plus, they’d ask him a million questions as to how Percy developed feeling for him, when it happened, et cetera. And, Percy didn’t really want to tell them the whole story.

Percy sighed. How was he ever going to confess to Nico? Should he just go up to him, blurt it out, and get it over with? That seemed like a good plan, right?  _Oh hey, so, I’ve liked you since you came back. Okay bye, have a lovely day._ No, that didn’t seem like a good plan at  _all_. Percy was never good at making plans anyway; that was Annabeth’s talent.

Why did Percy have to be so horrible with words? Whenever was nervous, he would always stutter and stammer. Whenever Percy was shocked or surprised, he would be able to form incoherent words. Whenever he was angry, he would shout out complete nonsense. Whenever he was sad, he would always trail off on his own while explaining what was wrong, or he would just talk too quietly. So no matter what, he was horrible with words. And in this case, he was nervous.

Then, it dawned on him. After everything that has happened, he totally forgot about the conversation he overheard between Nico and Jason, about them talking about Nico’s feelings for Percy. He was  _so_  glad he remembered. If he didn’t, then he would be worried over nothing. Nico liked him, and Percy liked him back, Correction: It was more like  _love_. So, it was something like: Nico  _loved_  him, and Percy  _loved_  him back. This whole “confessing” thing might actually turn out well for him.

But, he was still nervous about it all. How will Nico even react? Will his reaction be good or bad? What will Nico say about Annabeth’s and his breakup? Will Nico blame himself that it happened? Why did Percy have to come up with so many questions he can never answer?

And, at that exact moment, the person he always needed whenever he was “stuck in a pickle”, or so they say, arrived just for him. The Fates must be blessing him or something.

“Percy!”

“Annabeth!”

Annabeth suddenly came jogging up to him. Like he said before: it was such a blessing.

“What are you doing here?” Percy inquired as Annabeth read him. “I thought you were…” Percy didn’t really want to know what would happen if he brought up their previous ordeal with her.

“Well,” Annabeth drawled, “I finally got over it. It wasn’t that hard, once it worked it out with my  _listo_  brain.”

“I’m guessing  _listo_  means smart,” Percy surmised, chuckling.

Annabeth lightly laughed. “In Spanish, it means clever. So, yes, it does.”

“Wow, so smart you have to talk in two languages now, huh?” Percy smirked, elbowing Annabeth.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “I’m here to help you with your ‘How to confess to Nico’ problems.”

“Wow, thanks.” It was now Percy’s turn to roll his eyes. “You make it sound more like a game show or something like that on TV.”

Annabeth smirked. “Do I? Well, let’s just get straight to the point and cut to the chase.”

Annabeth arched an eyebrow when Percy burst out laughing. “And, what are you laughing at?”

“It’s just that, you said ‘cut to the chase’, and your last name is ‘Chase’. Get it?” Percy managed in between laughs.

Annabeth slapped Percy in the chest. “You will always be a seaweed brain no matter what. Let’s just… get straight to the point.”

Percy pouted. “Aw, you’re no fun, Annabeth. Let’s  _cut to the chase_ , am I right?”

“Let’s just start,” Annabeth finalized.

Percy heavily sighed. “Fine, fine. Whatever you say, Wise Girl.”

“So, how do you plan on confessing to Nico?” Annabeth inquired.

“I have no idea! I was trying to think about it while you left, but I thought of absolutely nothing,” Percy answered. “I, uh,” Percy rubbed the back of his neck nervously, “actually overheard a conversation between Nico and Jason. They were surprisingly talking about Nico’s feelings for me, but I’m not sure if they did that on purpose just so they can get back at me for eavesdropping on them. I mean, Nico can sense other people if they’re standing in the shadows, right? So, it might all be fake, but I don’t really have any proof for it.”

Annabeth raised both of her eyebrows in surprise. “Really? Well, that’s actually some pretty good news to hear. And, I really doubt they would come up with this whole ‘fake conversation’ just so they can get back at you. Wow, this is going to be a lot easier than I thought now.”

“Are you sure you want to be helping me get together with Nico?” Percy asked with a worried tone.

 Annabeth looked at Percy curiously. “Wel, of course I do. I mean, sure I still have feelings for you, but I am the one that broke up with you. And, we're still friends. I want to help you in any way possible, as a friend of course.” She winked at Percy and nudged him in the side with her elbow. “Right?”

Percy smiled in both satisfaction and relief. “Right. Thanks, Annabeth. You know, has anyone ever told you how awesome of a friend you are?”

Annabeth smirked and shrugged. “I may have heard it here and there. But, that’s not the point. Let’s… cut to the chase. There happy?”

 Percy laughed. “Never better.”

"Well, since you’re not good with words—“

“Obviously,” Percy put in.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “Yeah, obviously. But, anyway, I thought of something. You in?”

“If it’s a daughter of Athena’s—goddess of wisdom—plan, then I’m all in.” Percy nodded.

Annabeth smiled and leaned in towards Percy. “Alright, here’s the plan.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter is here! Thanks for reading, everyone! Hope you enjoyed it!

**Nico di Angelo**

Nico fluttered his eyes open. He was  _very_  glad he didn’t have a nightmare demigods usually had. Or a dirty dream about Percy. Either way, he was just glad he had a dreamless sleep. It was probably the best sleep he’s ever had. He should sleep here more often. The only thing stopping him from doing so was his stupid jealousy over Percy and Annabeth.

It was now the next day. There were no windows in the Hades Cabin, so the darkness was still in the room even though it was the daytime. Green Greek fire hung from torches, which were hung along the walls in a crystalline pattern. There were many made beds organized throughout the cabin with black sheets, pillows, and blankets. The walls and floor were black—to be more specific, obsidian. Nico made the cabin, so it was just like how he wanted it to be.

He should probably leave sooner or later. He wasn’t here at Camp Half-Blood very long, but he was spending way too much time with Percy. Which was a good and bad thing. The good part was: he was spending time with Percy, with much enjoyment as well. The bad this was: he was getting too attached to the son of Poseidon. His feelings are developing the more he sees him, which was very bad. Very, very,  _very_  bad.

Nico sighed. He should probably tell Percy and the others he was leaving, or they would get worried and send a search team for him. And, Nico didn’t want a search team after him. He supposed he should go to Camp Jupiter since he “visited” the demigods here, he might as well visit the ones at Camp Jupiter, even though people rarely pay attention to him. At least he could go and visit Reyna, Hazel, and Frank.

Nico pushed himself off the bed a little too fast, making him a bit lightheaded. He sat (collapsed) back down on the bed, so he might as well just stay here. He was too lazy to get up anyway. He couldn’t even tell what time of day it was; there were no windows in the Hades Cabin like he stated before. He surmised it was the next day. It felt like the next day, But, he didn’t really know for sure unless he actually saw where the position of the Sun was.

After a few moments, Nico pushed himself off the bed, slipped on his shoes, strapped on his Stygian Iron sword, and went outside. He never bothered changing into “pajamas” for the night, since he never really cared what he wore to sleep as long as it was comfortable. He supposed he would take a shower later. For now, he should go get some breakfast, if it was the next day.

He swung open his door and raised a curious eyebrow at what he was met with. He was face to face with Percy Jackson who currently had his hand timidly raised to knock on his door. Well, this was quite a surprise.

* * *

 

**Percy Jackson**

Okay, so Annabeth’s plan was  _really_  simple. The only problem was: Percy was nonstop shaking from nervousness. He could  _not_  do this, even though Nico also liked him. Unless it was a fake conversation; Percy still didn’t have his doubts about that.

After they talked about the plan, Annabeth suggested they go to sleep because (1) it was nighttime, and (2) he needed a long break before he confessed. Annabeth at first suggested he should just blurt out his confession because they both knew Nico liked him, but it was harder than that. So, Annabeth took some sympathy to Percy and devised a whole new plan. Watch, and you’ll see what it was.

So, the next day when Percy woke up, Annabeth’s face was literally right in his face. He yelped and jumped as far back as he could against the headboard of his bed. Annabeth was snickering from his reaction.

"Shut up, Annabeth!” Percy threw a pillow at her. “What are you even doing anyway? How long have you been here?”

Annabeth caught the pillow and set it on the edge of the bed next to her. “I came in here about a minute ago to wake you up so we can commence the plan and get this all over with, but I heard you mumbling something, and I thought you were greeting me or telling me to get out. So I came up closer to hear you, but then you woke up.” Annabeth attempted to hide her laugh, which failed. “Sorry.”

Percy rolled his eyes. “You scared me to death. I never want to wake up like that again. Especially if I have to deal with my whole ‘confessing thing’ today.”

“Well, that sucks.” Annabeth stood to her full height and crossed her arms. “We’re getting this over with, whether you like it or not.”

Percy groaned. “But—”

“No ‘buts’. You’ll get Nico’s butt later.” Annabeth smirked, resulting in Percy blushing and throwing another pillow at his ex-girlfriend. “By the way, were you dreaming? Since you were murmuring in your sleep, I’m guessing you were dreaming about something.”

Percy’s blush only deepened, making Annabeth laugh at her hardest. “Oh my gods! It was about Nico! Aw, how adorable can you get, Percy? What did you guys do in the dream? Something involving a bed perhaps?” Annabeth wiggled her eyebrows.

Percy’s blush became an even redder shade (it was still possible). “Annabeth! You—are—evil!” Percy threw a third pillow at Annabeth, who couldn’t catch it this time.

Annabeth was still laughing her heart out. “So it’s true?” She managed in between laughs. “Oh gods! My stomach and my mouth hurt so much from laughing! How was it? Who bottomed?”

Percy’s eyes went wide. “Like I would tell you!”

Annabeth laughed even harder. “So you admit you were having a dirty dream about you and Nico having  _sex_?! You are just so hilarious, Percy!”

“Shut—up—Annabeth!” Percy hid his face in one pillow and threw a fourth one at Annabeth.

After a few minutes of Annabeth dying of laughter, she finally stopped and cleared her throat. “Okay, I know that was absolutely hilarious, but we need to get going or else Nico will leave.”

"How do you know he’s going to leave?” inquired Percy, after letting his blush die down.

“Just a guess. After all, Nico still thinks we’re in a relationship. And, his jealousy might make him leave faster,” Annabeth surmised.

“You are clever,” Percy commented, getting up from his bed with many pillows sprawled all over the ground.

Annabeth bent down, picked up the pillows, and threw them onto the bed again. “You can set up the pillows later. I don’t want you to use the excuse of ‘setting up your pillows’ just so you could stall. Now, come on, before Nico leaves. If Nico is gone by the time we get to his cabin I will hit you upside the head. Now, let’s go.”

Annabeth joyfully and excitedly marched outside, while Percy became all the more nervous again as he put on his shoes. He suddenly became more timid about every little thing. But, Annabeth was right; he would have to get this over with sooner or later. And, now was finally the time. Hopefully, this would all turn out how it was planned without Percy chickening out.

The sun shone brightly in the sky, but it was probably about late ten o’clock (almost eleven). Most of the campers were by now outside of their assigned cabin, enjoying the beautiful day. A slight, warm breeze danced through the air, barely enough to ripple Percy’s clothes. All the campers outside were out and about, doing their leisure things here and there.

Soon enough, they both spotted Jason jogging up towards them along with Piper. “Hey, guys!”

"Hey, Annabeth! Hey, Percy!” Piper cheerily greeted.

“Hey!” Annabeth greeted back. Percy only grinned at the approaching demigods.

The two demigods finally reached them, both with smiles plastered on their faces.

"You guys never came back yesterday. What were you guys even talking about?” Piper cocked her head to the side.

Percy’s and Annabeth’s expressions changed into a worried look. Annabeth’s lips tilted downward. “Um, well, about that…It’s well.” Annabeth glanced at Percy.

Percy half-heartedly shrugged. “We’re going to have to tell them someday. We can’t keep it just between us forever. After all, I  _am_  confessing today.”

Piper and Jason both had a puzzled expression glued onto their faces.

“What are you guys even talking about?” Jason questioned.

Annabeth sighed. “You’re right, Percy. Well, anyway.” She shifted her eyes from Percy to Piper and Jason. “What we were talking about down by Canoe Lake…well…I broke up with Percy.”

Piper’s and Jason’s eyes widened. “You guys  _what_?!” They both screeched.

Percy shrugged once more. “It’s true.”

“But—but why?” Piper stammered.

“And, what were you talking about when you said ‘confessing’?” Jason directed at Percy.

Annabeth decided to explain for Percy. “We broke up because I realized Percy has developed more feelings for someone else. So, I broke it off with him just yesterday. Don’t worry we're still friends,” Annabeth quickly added in. “Anyway, I’m making him confess his feelings today.”

“Wait.” Piper paused. “Do you mean  _Nico_?”

“Nico?!” Jason’s eyes became even wider. “You’re going to confess to Nico today?!”

“Yeah,” Percy answered. “Annabeth made a plan and everything. Such a wise girl, seriously.”

“Shut up.” Annabeth playfully shoved Percy in the upper arm. “I’d rather be a wise girl than a seaweed brain.” Annabeth smirked.

Percy rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. We all know Percy Jackson is indeed, very stupid.”

“You got that right.” Annabeth chuckled.

“Come on, guys!” Piper hopped up and down excitedly. “Let’s go! I want to see Percy confess!”

“Woah, woah, woah, slow down there, Piper,” Percy stated. “You’re all going to  _watch_  me?!”

Piper scoffed like it was obvious. “Of course! Let’s go!”

“Shouldn’t Annabeth tell us what plan she made first?” Jason suggested.

“That’s a good idea.” Annabeth nodded, before leaning in toward Jason and Piper. “Okay, this is what I thought of…”

* * *

 

**_Commencing Plan A---Percy Jackson_ **

Percy timidly walked up the black, obsidian steps of the Hades Cabin—Cabin Thirteen. He wasn’t very ready for this. Oh no, he was not ready indeed. But, Annabeth insisted upon doing this, and Piper and Jason were very eager to watch. So, it wasn’t like Percy had the choice of chickening out anymore.—now that three people were watching his every move. He also had to not act nervous, or Nico would find him either weird or suspicious. Possibly both.

The Hades Cabin was black all around. It was made of obsidian, and Greek fire hung from torches, which were hung around the rim of the cabin. There were no windows whatsoever installed on the sides—or anywhere—of the cabin, and there was a white skull hanging above the door which led to the inside of it. It also had the golden number 13 above the door and above the white skull.

Percy raised his hand up to knock, definitely not confident with himself, and before his knuckles came into contact with the black door, the door swung open to reveal a messy-haired Nico di Angelo.

Nico’s silky black hair was sticking out in many various places—which made his appearance look all the more appealing. His jeans and his T-shirt were ruffled and wrinkled like he slept in them for the night. His shoes were sloppily put on, and he looked immensely tired as if he only had two hours of sleep last night. Well, Nico  _always_  looked immensely tired. But, Nico’s appearance just made Percy more aroused.

Percy gulped, and actually managed to talk without stuttering, stammering, or sounding nervous. He actually sounded surprisingly normal. “Do you want to walk around and hang out with me?”

Nico’s surprised expression soon faltered, but he had one eyebrow raised. “Uh, yeah sure.” He smiled. “Let’s go, I guess.”

They both—side by side—walked along the camp in a comforting silence in the direction of the amphitheater. Annabeth had specially suggested this place. No one was ever there, so it was the perfect place to confess his feelings to Nico without anyone watching (even though Jason, Piper, and Annabeth were all watching him, which Percy found extremely uncomfortable about).

They soon reached the amphitheater. Percy led them to one of the seats, and they just sat there. Well, Nico just sat there. Percy contemplated on how to start the plan. So, he played Annabeth’s plan throughout his mind as he sat here, wondering how to start.

 _It’s simple and easy_. She had said the day before down by Canoe Lake.  _Just invite him to hang out with you again, But, it should be a different place since Nico might be tired of being by Canoe Lake. Try the amphitheater; people rarely go there, so you can have the chance to be alone with Nico when you confess to him. Just, talk with him; make him comfortable instead of sitting there in silence. Act as if you guys were just friends regularly hanging out. I already know you’re not good with words, so I won’t make you confess using words. Instead, when Nico’s in the middle of talking and you feel ready and it’s about the right time, stare into his eyes and lose yourself in a trance while staring at them. When Nico asks what you’re doing, cut him off by kissing him. Okay?_

* * *

 

**_Experiencing Plan A---Nico di Angelo_ **

Well, this was surprising.

He was currently at the amphitheater with Percy. Surprisingly enough, he asked him to hang out with him, which was something Nico didn’t expect to happen today. At least now he could tell Percy he was planning on leaving today. What other time to tell him than now? Nico didn’t really expect to find Percy so fast, but apparently, he did, and now he could tell him. They were pretty much sitting in silence, so might as well start a conversation, right?

“Hey, Percy,” Nico started, getting Percy’s attention.

“Y—yeah?” Percy asked, while stuttering, which confused Nico. But, he didn’t pay it any mind.

“This morning, I was thinking about leaving Camp Half-Blood today. I mean, I’ve had a lot of fun with you and everyone else, but, I just…” How was Nico going to say he was leaving because he was jealous of Percy and Annabeth always being so intimate with one another? He decided to make up some excuse that sounded believable. “…don’t belong here. I don’t feel right being here, with everyone being so afraid of me because I’m the son of Hades. I know, they were all ‘amazed’ by my sword and demigod skills when we were dueling against each other in the sword arena yesterday, but I still know they’re afraid of me. I decided to tell you guys first before I left since you guys would probably send a search team after me. And, I would probably get yelled at by you, so I thought it best to tell you and the others first before I left. That…okay?” Nico partially lied. It was true, he felt like he didn’t belong here because everyone was so afraid of him for being the child of Hades  _and_  for being part of the Big Three, but he could live with that. He was used to it anyway. The main reason was because of jealousy, which was something he didn’t want to talk to Percy about. That would be a very interesting, but embarrassing, conversation.

“You’re…you’re leaving already?” Percy asked, sounding completely depressed, which just broke Nico’s heart. He’s mentioned this before, but he hated seeing Percy look so sad. He never deserved any sadness.

Nico averted his eyes to the ground. “Yeah. Look, I’m sorry about it and everything.”

Percy deeply inhaled, before sighing heavily. “Look, I just, I wanted to tell you something, since you’re going to leave.”

“Yeah, but, before you mention it, sorry for making this whole ‘hanging out’ thing so depressing,” Nico apologized.

Percy shook his head back and forth. “No, no, it’s fine. But don’t, don’t leave, okay?”

Nico’s eyebrows drew together. “Look, Percy,” He made eye contact with Percy’s sorrowful sea-green eyes, “I already chose to leave. I’m…really sorry about it. I was planning on getting some food before heading out and saying my goodbyes to you guys actually, but then you showed up and asked if you wanted to hang out, so I thought, why not? But then I kind of turned this whole ‘hanging out’ thing more depressing now, so I just thought,” He paused. “Why are you staring at me for so long? Do I have something on my face or something?”

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Percy’s sea-green eyes were so beautiful and stunning; he could stare at them all day. Actually, he wanted to, but that would be creepy, right? Percy already has a girlfriend, so he should conceal his feelings by (1) leaving, and (2) not stare at Percy’s eyes like a creepy freak (like he wasn’t one already). Nico could just roll his eyes right at this moment if Percy was paying so much close attention to him.

“Percy? Percy, are you okay? Is there really something on my—”

He never got to finish his sentence. Because, the most exhilarating, exciting, and shocking thing happened to him at that very moment. Percy  _kissed_  him. Like literally, on the lips and  _everything_.

Percy’s lips were so soft, and he kissed like he’s done it a million times (which he has). Percy was leading the kiss, deepening it with every second their lips still were in contact. Nico was so stunned; he couldn’t even react fast enough. It was the best feeling he has ever experienced in his whole life, and he hasn’t had a ton of those.

This…this couldn’t be happening, right? No, no of course not. This couldn’t be real. Percy was probably just playing with him or something. Or, Percy probably already knew of Nico’s feelings for him, and he was just kissing him so Nico could change his mind and stay at Camp Half-Blood instead of leaving. That made Nico pretty angry. Seriously, who did he think he was that he could just play with Nico’s feelings like that?! Did he think doing this would make him immediately change his mind and stay?! Did Percy think Nico would stoop so low, or that he was stupid?!

Nico shoved Percy off pretty harshly, and even though Nico couldn’t see himself, he could tell he looked pretty furious.

“What the hell, Percy?!” Nico yelled. “What are you…what the  _fuck_  are you doing?!”

Percy immediately looked guilty of himself, and even though Nico’s broke shattered once more, he was too furious with the son of Poseidon to feel and sympathy for him.

“Look, I just…” Percy awkwardly started, averting his eyes to the ground. “Look, I’m sorry, Nico. But, I have something to say.”

“Then say it already!” Nico demanded, his teeth tightly clenched. “Do you really think I’m stupid?!” Nico was pretty much glaring millions of venomous daggers at Percy now.

“What?!” Percy’s gaze shot up towards Nico. “No!” Percy immediately denied. “No, I would never…I would never think you’re stupid, Nico. What made you think that?!”

Nico decided to ignore the question. “What do you have to say to me that’s  _apparently_  so  _important_?!” He hissed through his gritted teeth. “I think I should just leave now.”

“No!” Percy’s eyes went wide. “No, Nico, don’t please, don’t. I can’t…I don’t want you to leave. Please, please,  _please_  don’t. I don’t think I can even live without you anymore now that you’re back…”

“What the fuck are you even talking about Percy?” Nico managed to tone down his anger a little, but he was still glaring venomous daggers at Percy and talking very harshly at him through clenched teeth.

“Look, just, promise me you won’t leave, okay?” Percy pleaded.

“Why should I promise anything to you?” Nico snapped.

“Because I love you, Nico!” Percy blurted out, before hastily slapping a hand to his mouth, and also leaving Nico in momentary shock.

“W—wait  _what_?” Nico asked with wide eyes.

Percy slowly lowered his hand into his lap, taking sudden interest in the ground once more. “Look, okay.” Percy took a deep breath. “Ever since you came back, I suddenly started developing feelings for you. And, Annabeth suggested that—”

“Wait a second,” Nico interrupted. “ _Annabeth_  helped you?! Aren’t you  _dating_  her?!”       

“We…kind of…broke up yesterday…” Percy murmured so quietly, Nico had to take a few moments to process what he had just said.

“Wait, wait, wait.” Nico shook his head back and forth. “That isn’t right. That’s…that’s impossible.”

“It’s true,” Percy shifted his gaze over to Nico again. “Annabeth knew I had feelings for you, so she broke up with me yesterday. That’s what we were talking about.”

Nico’s eyes became wide. “ _That’s_  what you guys were talking about?!”

“Yeah.” Percy nodded. “So, anyway. Annabeth suggested I confess to you today before you thought of leaving. Annabeth can be so smart sometimes. She pretty much predicted you were planning on leaving before you even showed any hint of it. That’s why…that’s why I don’t want you to leave. So don’t…don’t leave me…please?”

Nico stared deep into those saddened sea-green eyes, the eyes Nico had fallen in love with so much, along with the rest of Percy. Nico didn’t respond to Percy’s question, but he probably took the hint of his answer from what he did.

Nico grabbed a fistful of Percy’s shirt before crashing their lips together. Percy smiled into the kiss, before deepening it and wrapping his arms around Nico’s waist. Nico smiled and wrapped his arms around Percy’s neck, and it was the best feeling he could ever dream of.

* * *

 

**Annabeth Chase**

Annabeth, Piper, and Jason were all behind a Greek column by the amphitheater, peeking over the side, and watching Nico and Percy, jaw-dropped and in awe.

“Woah,” Piper breathed, breaking the silence between the three of them.

“Wow,” Jason breathlessly commented. “I can’t believe Percy actually did it.”

“And he actually went according to the plan,” Annabeth said in awe, completely impressed. “He didn’t act rash about anything. This is truly…amazing.”

“And the kiss!” Piper exclaimed, but still a mere whisper. “It was so adorable! Oh my gods it was absolutely perfect! I should’ve recorded the whole scene and watched it a million times! My half-siblings would love watching something like this over and over again anyway.”

“And, it actually worked out in the end,” Jason added. “That’s a relief.”

“Indeed, it is.” Annabeth smiled. “I’m so glad it worked out well. If it didn’t, I would probably smack Nico upside the head, and lock both of them together in a room until Nico would finally give in.”

Piper and Jason slowly turned to her with bewildered looks plastered across their faces.

“Interesting…?” Jason awkwardly commented.

“That’s Annabeth for you.” Piper rolled her eyes, but with a smile.

“Sounds exactly like her,” Jason murmured. “I remember when we first met Annabeth at Grand Canyon.”

“Oh yeah!” Piper brightened up, even though she was already super happy and cheerful. “That was quite an interesting experience, falling down Grand Canyon, and then you flying us back up with your demigod powers that we never knew existed.”

Annabeth smirked at the distant memory that happened so long ago. It seemed like it was just yesterday. “The good old times, when the Great Prophecy and the war with Gaea had started. And, Hera’s plan was started.”

Piper huffed, “I still hate Hera. I can’t believe we had to save her! I wish I could’ve just told her to save herself.”

Jason smirked. “Wish I could’ve done that too.”

Annabeth smiled. Even though Percy and Annabeth broke up just the day previous, she felt just right. She felt like everything in the upcoming future will be okay, and nothing bad will ever be able to stop them. She felt as if nothing bad would ever be able to break apart Nico and Percy. They seemed to work so well together. It seemed like they were made and fated just for each other. And, in the future, it was true. They never broke apart, not even once.

_**Fin.** _


End file.
